


Carmen

by BringMeBackToEarth



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Gen, Lots of fluff!, More of a Sherlock-centered fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-07
Updated: 2014-07-07
Packaged: 2017-12-28 18:57:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 29,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/995376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BringMeBackToEarth/pseuds/BringMeBackToEarth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Parentlock! While on a case, an unfortunate accident leaves a baby girl in the care of Sherlock, if only for a short while. But what will happen when the detective feels an unusual connection with the little girl... and even a strange sense of protective love for her... Rated T for language and just in case.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"Damn it!" John cried, exasperated. "Is there any sign of the shooter?"

"No," Sherlock answered as his eyes began analyzing the scene around him, barely taking notice of the bleeding woman on the ground. "Lestrade should be here any moment. We almost had him this time!"

"Sherlock, please!" John scolded, desperately trying to save the bleeding woman on the ground.

The detective, seeing something out of the corner of his eye started to race down the street. "No, Sherlock. Come back here!" He stopped, turning on his heel as he heard John's voice calling him.

"Ugh! What could possibly be so important, John?" he asked, frustrated.

Breathing heavily as he tried to perform CPR on the dying woman, John gave terse nod to his right. "That," he breathed, groaning in frustration. "That's what could be so important."

Sherlock's eyes traveled to where his flat mate had pointed, and froze upon seeing a small baby carriage, a very unhappy child wrapped tightly in a pink blanket inside.

"John?" he asked warily, not liking what he knew the doctor was suggesting.

"Yep. That's right. You need to get her out of here. Damn it! Take her back to the flat; we don't know if there are more shooters. Where is Lestrade?!"

"John, I can't—I mean, you—"

"Sherlock, please stop acting like a child! Just go get her and take her back to the flat. Hurry!"

When the detective remained frozen in place, staring at the baby with a stricken look on his face, John paused and turned around. He sighed, almost laughing, as he saw the look on his friend's face. "Sherlock," he said gently, "you'll do just fine. We just need to keep her out of danger. You can do it. I'll be right down as soon as Lestrade and his team get here—that is if they ever bloody decided to show up!" He gave Sherlock a reassuring smile, before turning back to the bleeding woman, determination in his eyes.

"Right. Umm… Okay." Heart pounding, and with a strange sense of insecurity, Sherlock hurried over to the baby carriage. Taking a deep breath, he reached down, wrapping his slender fingers around the handle of the baby carrier, and snatched the large bag that was resting next to it, slinging it over his shoulder.

Flat... Need to take it to the flat... Right. Okay. I can do that.

Baby in hand, he turned back to John, who paused to give his friend a reassuring smile. "The flat," he mouthed, giving a nod of encouragement. "You'll be fine." Then, a concentrated look returning to his face, he turned back to the woman, sighing in relief as he saw Lestrade pull up, followed closely by an ambulance.

Steeling himself, Sherlock quickly turned around, and hurried towards the direction of the flat, trying to shove away the strange sense of embarrassment he felt.

 

 

Soon, all other sounds began to melt away and were replaced only by the sound of the screaming baby in Sherlock's hands. The detective winced at the sound, but kept hurrying forward, eventually reaching the flat, and now quite on edge from the cries of the baby.

Almost as if in a strange haze, he opened the door with is free hand, and wandered through into the flat, quickly pushing it shut behind him, hoping maybe now that they were safely inside and surrounded by quiet, the little girl would stop her continuous wailing and calm down, giving him some peace and quiet.

For a moment, all was silent. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply, grateful for the silence. Just as soon as it had started, though, the quiet came to an abrupt halt as the little girl let out another angry cry, which echoed around the quiet flat.

"Wonderful," he muttered, hurrying up the stairs. Good thing Mrs. Hudson isn't in. As he walked into the flat, Sherlock gently placed the baby carrier on the ground, and let the baby bag slip off of his shoulder. "Ohh," he sighed, pressing the palms of his hands over his eyes. He tried to clear his head, attempting to drown out the piercing cries that were filling the flat.

"Ugh! Do you think you could please stop?" he asked in an exasperated voice, throwing his arms up in the air. He glared down at the little girl. "What do you want? I don't know how to help you!" He stared at the screaming little girl, running his hands through his raven curls as she only continued to wail louder.

"Agh! Fine, fine," he muttered, pulling out his phone. His fingers quickly flew over the keys as he typed: **What should you do when a baby will not stop crying?**

He hastily tapped the first website that popped up, wincing as another wail pierced the air.

He read the information quickly, frowning as his eyes skimmed over the suggested maneuvers: **Pick the child up, turn the lights down, try talking in a soothing voice, lay your bare baby on your naked chest to establish skin-to-skin contact.**

"Skin-to-skin contact?" he murmured out loud, frowning at the words on the screen. "Ugh!" he cried as the baby wailed again. "Okay, okay!" he said hastily, placing his phone on the couch.

Completely unsure of himself, but glad to try anything to get the wailing to stop, Sherlock leaned forward towards the baby carriage, stretching his long arms out.

"Umm..." Hesitantly, he undid the straps, unfolded pink blanket that enveloped the baby's body, and then wrapped his large hands around the little girl's incredibly small body, noticing how she was dressed only in a nappy.

Upon lifting her out of the seat, Sherlock froze, feeling how incredibly light she was in his hands; he felt as if he squeezed too hard or moved the wrong way she might break in his hands.

Now free of the blanket that had previously been wrapped around her small body, the little girl began to flail her tiny arms about, kicking wildly as she did so.

Her small features were scrunched up in displeasure as she cried loudly, tears streaming down her face.

The sight made Sherlock's heart twinge sadly in his chest.

"Oh, um... Shhh," he whispered, hoping to be soothing, as he held the little girl in front of his face, his large hands placed securely under her armpits.

He quickly glanced around the room, and his eyes fell upon the large black bag, which had the word "Carmen" printed across the front in a large, red font.

"Carmen? Carmen. Carmen!" He quickly turned his attention back to the little girl in his hands. "Shh... Carmeeen," he cooed. "Hey, Carmen," he murmured quietly, gently bouncing his arms up and down.

When that did nothing, he decided to try the next item on the list. "Uhh..." Unsure of how to go about dimming the lights, he instinctively moved the little girl to the crook of his arm, careful to cradle her head, which appeared to be extremely unsteady.

"Shh," he whispered quietly, standing up to close the curtains. He moved slowly, trying not to jostle the little girl in his arms, and then meandered back to the couch, sitting down again, but keeping Carmen safely in the crook of his arm.

The little girl sniffled, taking a moment to stare up at Sherlock with wide, puffy eyes. She paused, hiccupping as a few more tears slid down her pink cheeks.

"Ahh," Sherlock sighed happily, glad for the quiet. He gazed down at the little girl, a small smile playing on his lips. "It's okay," he murmured, tenderly brushing his thumb over the little girl's cheek in a rare show of comfort.

Moving as slowly as possible, he slowly turned his body, hoping to place the little girl back in her carrier. "Okay," he whispered, stretching down to place her tiny body in the baby seat. "There we go..." Slowly, the detective moved his arms away, gently pulling his fingers away from Carmen's middle.

The little girl stared at Sherlock from her car seat for a moment, eyes wide, before promptly opening her mouth and letting out a loud cry again. Instantly, Sherlock reached forward, hastily pulling the little girl back into his arms, but this time it did nothing; Carmen continued to scream, blindly flailing her arms about.

Sherlock began to gently talk to the little girl in his arms, hoping to calm her down once again.

"What? No," he groaned when she only began to wail louder, knowing he was going to have to resort to the last item on the list, but not truly caring if it meant the little girl's piercing cries would finally cease. "Okay." Sighing deeply, he stood up, and placed the now-screaming baby in her carrier once again.

Hurriedly, Sherlock pulled off his coat and jacket, tossing them over to his chair and then un-tucked his button up, undoing the buttons and threw it over by his other discarded clothing.

"Right." Bristling at the sound of Carmen's wailing, he quickly grabbed his blue robe and threw it over his shoulders.

"It's okay, it's okay. I'm here," he said hurriedly, picking up the little girl once again. Haphazardly holding her up, he laid down on the couch, stretching his legs out before hesitantly laying her on his bare chest, unsure of what he was supposed to do.

"It's okay, Carmen," he soothed quietly, awkwardly trying to position her small form on his bare chest, which only resulted in the little girl bumping her head against his collarbone.

"Oh! Sorry, sorry," he apologized quickly, pulling the little girl down further on his chest.

Clearly displeased with the situation, she began banging her small arms against Sherlock's chest, scrunching her face together in discomfort.

In an effort to stop the stream of tiny fistfalls against his skin, Sherlock gently placed is hand on Carmen's back, and began to run his thumb up and down, whispering comforting words.

The little girl paused upon feeling Sherlock's soothing hand on her bare back. She sniffled loudly, gazing up at the detective with an incredibly sad face and moaned quietly, the sound of which made Sherlock's lips twitch upwards in a small smile. Sniffling to herself, but no longer crying, Carmen tried to crawl up the detective's chest as a few more silent tears slipped free.

Smiling tenderly at the little girl, Sherlock gently scooted Carmen's small form upwards towards his face, noticing for the first time that his hand was bigger than her entire back. He stared at his hand resting on her incredibly soft back, suddenly amazed by the fact that a human being could possibly be this small.

"Ahhh," the little girl sighed gently, pressing her face into Sherlock's shoulder.

Suddenly very tired from all of her crying and screaming, Carmen yawned widely against the detective's skin. Shivering, she slowly tucked her arms and legs inward in an attempt to warm herself.

"Bbaa," she gurgled uncomfortably, snuggling into Sherlock's warm skin.

"Oh, right. Sorry. Here we go," Sherlock murmured quietly, pulling the fabric of his robe over Carmen's tiny body in an effort to warm her up.

"Mmm," she sighed, moving her tiny head back and forth against the detective's skin. She yawned again and gazed up at Sherlock with tired eyes.

"Hello," he whispered quietly, staring down at the little girl resting on his chest.

"Dddd," Carmen gurgled happily. Making quiet baby sounds, she slowly stretched her small body forward as much as she could, reaching her hand towards the detective's face. With a small grunt, she pressed her incredibly tiny fingers to Sherlock's chin.

"Mmm." Now having calmed down significantly, Carmen gazed up at Sherlock with wide eyes. She sighed contently, curling her chubby fingers against the detective's chin.

Sherlock stared down at the little girl, feeling a strange fluttering sensation deep in his stomach as Carmen's fingers curled against his skin.

"Amazing," he murmured out loud, noticing for the first time how the little girl was rather beautiful—now that she wasn't screaming.

Carefully, as if he was afraid he might hurt or disturb her, Sherlock took his hand and tenderly brushed his fingertips over Carmen's head, suddenly finding it hard to breath as he saw the little girl's lips turn up in what he was sure was a smile.

"You know," he whispered out loud, running his fingertips across Carmen's head again, "you're not too horrible when you're not wailing your lungs out." He chuckled out loud as Carmen sighed again, a tiny smile spreading across her face. "In fact... You're rather cute," he said, smiling down at the little girl.

"Bbbuu." Smiling, Carmen slid her hand further upward, pressing her fingers against Sherlock's lips. She stared at the detective with a tiny grin, eyes wide with wonder as she blinked slowly, her eyelids fluttering closed and then open again.

Sherlock's gaze flitted over Carmen's face, studying her chubby cheeks, smiling at her bald head, staring at her stunningly deep, blue eyes and reveling in the feel of her chubby fingers against his skin.

"Aaah," Carmen yawned widely, her face bumping haphazardly against Sherlock's jaw.

"Oh! Sorry. Hold on." With careful hands, the detective pulled Carmen's small body away from his face, settling her on his chest, letting her head rest in the dip just below his shoulder. "There you go." Sherlock smiled fondly as he felt the little girl yawn widely against his skin, pressing her face into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he murmured quietly, placing his hand on Carmen's back. His low, baritone voice rumbled throughout the flat, causing the little girl's eyes to droop as she listened to him talk. "You don't know it yet," he continued sadly, absentmindedly rubbing his thumb up and down Carmen's bare back. "But I'm afraid your mother might..." He stopped, feeling a pang of sadness spread through his chest. The detective took a deep breath, finding comfort in Carmen's small form shifting against his chest.

"You know, Carmen... It may sound completely illogical, but I actually kind of like you when you're calm and quiet... And, if you'd like, you could always live here... With me, I mean. It'll probably get pretty crazy at times, but I don't think it would be too bad. In fact, I think it might even be an interesting adventure." He turned his attention back to Carmen, not even noticing his eyes had been drifting around the flat.

Sherlock smiled fondly at the little girl, who was now fast asleep, her small hand clenching and unclenching against his chest.

Though he couldn't explain it, Sherlock felt an odd sense of unprecedented protection for the tiny being sleeping on his chest; she was so helpless and innocent. He felt an unusual desire to protect her from all the evil in the world; fend off the monsters she might have in her life.

"Ohh," he sighed out loud, a strange feeling building in his chest; now that Carmen was with him, he had a suspicious feeling that he would never be able to let her go.

"Why?" he asked himself out loud. He didn't understand how he could feel such strong sentiment for a small human being he'd just met. "Emotions... Hmm... Interesting." Smiling to himself, Sherlock began to gently stroke the tips of his fingers across Carmen's small head, closing his eyes and leaning back.

"Carmen," he murmured quietly, trying the name out on his tongue and feeling that same fluttering in his stomach as the little girl sighed against his skin.

"Can't wait to tell John..." Sherlock smiled smugly to himself, already picturing his flat mate's reaction. He snuggled deeper into the couch, listening to the quiet breaths of Carmen, smiling at the gentle rise and fall of her chest against his skin.


	2. Chapter 2

"Thank you very much, John," Lestrade breathed as they finished loading the woman's body into the ambulance. He quickly clapped the doctor on the shoulder, giving him his usual smile. "Now, uh, you said there was a baby?" The Inspector quickly turned around, scanning the scene for signs of a child.

"Oh! Yeah... I guess I did, didn't I? Well, I kind of—Umm—It seemed like a good idea at the time," John stuttered looking sheepishly at the ground. Greg turned back to the doctor, a quizzical look on his face.

"You mean you sent it home with Sherlock?" he asked incredulously, eyebrows shooting upwards.

"Well—Yes. Yeah. I did. I'd uh... Better go and see about that. Be back in a moment!" The doctor quickly turned around and began jogging in the direction of the flat, heart pounding with all of the possibilities that were racing through his head. Why on earth had he thought leaving a days-old baby with Sherlock Holmes was a good idea?

The doctor quickly reached the flat and shoved open the door, racing up the stairs.

"Sherlock, look, I—"

He stopped in his tracks as he entered the flat to see Sherlock, sleeping on the couch, wearing only his robe and suit trousers, a tiny baby snuggled tightly against his chest, sleeping soundly.

"Ohh," the doctor sighed to himself, lips turning up in a tiny smile as he gazed at his flat mate, who almost appeared to be smiling. He quickly pulled out his phone, taking as many pictures as he could of the detective with the small baby.

He smiled fondly at the two as he noticed Sherlock's hand resting gently on the little girl's back.

"Hmm," he chuckled to himself, smiling at the detective.

The doctor jumped upon hearing his friend speak, with his eyes still closed.

"You will delete those photographs immediately, thank you. And please stop grinning at me like a little schoolboy; it's just a baby. I highly doubt you have never seen a baby before."

Sherlock slowly opened his eyes to gaze at John, who was staring back at him with a quizzical look on his face.

"How did you—"

"Shh," the detective scolded. "You might wake her." Keeping his hand on Carmen's back and placing the other to the back of her small head, Sherlock slowly sat up, keeping the little girl pressed tightly against his chest.

"Mmm," she sighed, shifting in Sherlock's arms as he moved.

The detective froze, worried he had woken Carmen up. When the little girl continued to breath steadily, leaning into his chest, Sherlock continued moving, standing up off the couch. A smug look on his face, he faced John, who still looked slightly confused.

The doctor shook his head slightly, the small smile returning to his face. "So," he began slyly, giving his friend a smug look. "A baby. That's what it takes to break through that cold exterior, huh?"

Sherlock rolled his eyes, absentmindedly swaying back and forth. "Don't be absurd. This was only thing that got her to quiet down," he said matter-of-factly. "She simply would not stop crying."

"Mmm-hmm," John said, seeing right through his friend. He slowly crossed his arms over his chest, fixing the detective with a smug stare. "You don't have to lie, you know? I won't think any less of you."

"Please, John, I mean how—"

"But I will need to take her back now, you know?" John interrupted gently.

Sherlock froze, instantly tightening his grip around Carmen. "What?" he asked, staring at John.

"We have to give her back. I mean—she probably has a father somewhere, maybe even grandparents, all of whom—"

"No," Sherlock interrupted, fixing the doctor with an icy glare. "She's staying with me." He could feel a deep burning sensation in the pit of stomach. "I—I mean... Umm," he stumbled, blushing deeply.

"Wait," John began, gazing at his friend. "You mean you... You actually want to keep her?" he asked gently, his eyes falling upon the sleeping girl in his friend's arms.

"Well," Sherlock said awkwardly, avoiding John's eyes. "No, I mean—I just—I feel like I need to—sort of... I don't—Protect her," he muttered quickly, staring embarrassed at the floor.

When no response came from John, the detective quickly look up at his flat mate, worried about what he might find. "John?" He paused upon seeing the soft look in his friend's eyes.

The two stared at each other, and it was clear John was thinking over the situation. The doctor took a deep breath, eyes scanning the ground as he thought.

"Well," he began slowly. "You know there's a very slim chance that you could even get custody of her. And even if you did, I'm not sure you understand what a huge respons—"

"I can do it, John!" Sherlock cried, a sense of hope building in his chest. "I mean it. I understand the responsibility and I can do it... I promise." He looked at John with wide, hopeful eyes, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Okay," the doctor said slowly, a serious look on his face, though his eyes were shining. "How about I'll go and talk to—"

"John! Sherlock? Did he harm the baby?" came the boisterous voice of Lestrade. He quickly cleared the last of the stairs, bounding into the flat. He stopped, an utterly stunned look on his face as he saw the baby in Sherlock's arms, snuggled closely to his chest.

"Ah. Umm, Greg? Could I talk to your for a moment?" John said quickly, ushering the Inspector into the kitchen. He shot Sherlock a hopeful look, already explaining the situation to Greg.

"Ohh," the detective sighed nervously. He gazed down at Carmen, who had shifted in her sleep upon hearing the loud entrance of Lestrade. "Hopefully," he whispered, resuming his gentle swaying. He slowly ran one of his fingers across the top of Carmen's head as he listened to muffled voices of John and Lestrade.

Eventually, after waiting for what seemed like ages, Greg and the doctor finally emerged from the kitchen. Instantly, Sherlock began analyzing them, assessing their body language for any sort of a hint as to how the conversation went.

A small smile on his lips, Lestrade meandered over to Sherlock, keeping his voice down, on account of the resting baby. "Okay," he began. "Here's what I can do. Technically, legally, we're going to need to see if she has any immediate family who will get custody of her. We'll run some background checks to see if any of them are suitable to raise and house a small child. Although this is breaking the rules—like a lot—I'll let you keep ahold of her until we're done with everything. If we find that she either has no family members who should get custody, or that none of them are suitable, well—I'm sure your brother could take it from there." The Inspector gave Sherlock a small grin, knowing how much the detective despised his brother, but Sherlock wasn't listening.

The detective's mind was racing with the fact that until they found anything, Carmen would be staying with him with him. He exhaled, releasing a breath he didn't even know he'd been holding.

"Thank you, Lestrade," he breathed, giving the Inspector a genuine smile.

"No problem. Op!" he cried, quickly pulled out his ringing mobile, glancing at the caller I.D. "Sorry guys. I've got to go. I'll call you whenever I have an update on the case—or on the little girl." He gave the two men a quick smile before hurrying down and out the stairs, quickly talking into his phone.

Sighing in relief, Sherlock turned to John.

"Thank you," he said awkwardly, giving the doctor a small smile.

"Of course. I understand," he said quietly, giving his friend a small smile.

Sherlock cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably. "Umm... If you wouldn't mind—I could—I mean, it might be nice to have some help with... Getting everything ready for... You know."

John laughed, giving Sherlock a grin. "Of course. I'd be more than happy to." He glanced at his watch. "Oh. Better do it quickly, though. Mary's expecting me home in a few hours so we can go out for dinner tonight."

"Right. Okay. So what do we need to do?" Sherlock asked, staring expectantly at John.

"Well... I suppose you could stay here with her and I can go out and get everything you might need. Unless, of course, you'd rather leave her here with me and you can go and get the items yourself," John said comically.

"That would be highly illogical, John, seeing as she's currently sleeping on me right now, and the process of handing her off would result in her waking up. In addition—"

"Sherlock! That was a joke," John chuckled. "And yes, yes, I know. You wouldn't want to hand her over, anyway." He gave the detective a knowing grin. "All right. Come here," he said, gesturing to the couch.

Sherlock diligently followed John to the couch, frowning in confusion as the doctor picked up the large black bag, slinging it over his shoulder. "Come on then." Bag in tow, John hurried into the kitchen.

"Okay," the doctor said, setting the bag on the table. He unzipped the top, sifting through the items inside. "There we go," he said, pulling out several objects and placing them on the table. He turned to Sherlock, chuckling to himself as he saw the detective desperately try to make sense of the objects on the table. John started to explain. "At some point, she's going to get hungry. This," he gestured to the table, "is her food."

"Okay," Sherlock said hesitantly, clearly not understanding.

"Don't worry," John chuckled. "I'll show you. Okay! First things first, you need to take these," he grabbed the bottle parts in his hands and walked over to the stove. He started the water running, pulled out a pot, and filled it with the water. "We need to sterilize the bottle; just to be safe. After this, you don't need to boil them any more, just give them a thorough cleaning." He smiled at the detective, placing the pot of water on the stove and setting it to boil.

"Okay. Next, we need to take this," John quickly reached back towards the table and grabbed the container of baby powder. "This is her food… More or less. Following me?"

Sherlock nodded slowly, absentmindedly running his hand up and down Carmen's back as John spoke.

"Good. You'll need to know how much of this to measure out." John slowly walked Sherlock through the steps of measuring out the proper amount of baby formula.

"Think you have it?"

Sherlock nodded slowly. "I think so."

"Good. Okay. See how the water is boiling now?" The detective nodded. "Right. Well now we can put the bottle in and sterilize it. Go on."

Trying not to jostle Carmen, Sherlock took a free hand and dropped the bottle parts into the boiling water.

"Good. Now we just wait about five minutes until that's done."

A content look on his face, John sat down on one of the chairs.

He chuckled as Sherlock began to pace back and forth around the tiny kitchen. "You okay?"

"Hmm? Oh. Yes, fine. Sorry." The detective quickly sat down in one of the chairs. The two waited in silence for the bottles to finish.

"Okay. Come on then," John said, standing up. "All right." He took the pieces out of the boiling pot of water.

"Right. Now come over here." Slowly, John walked his flat mate through the steps of how much formula to use and how much water to use and how to prepare the bottle. "Very good," he praised. "Now shake up, make sure it's all mixed together… Yep. Just like that."

Both John and Sherlock's eyes fell to the detective's chest upon hearing a small whining sound.

"Mmm," Carmen sighed, yawning widely as she shifted against Sherlock's chest. Sighing quietly, the little girl slowly opened her eyes, leaning tiredly against the detective's chest.

"Oh! Hi there," John cooed quietly, leaning forward to get a better look at the little girl in Sherlock's arms. "Wow, she's pretty isn't she?" he asked gently, giving Sherlock a small smile.

"Mmm," the detective murmured quietly, staring down at Carmen.

Suddenly, the little girl squirmed in Sherlock's arms, her face scrunching up in discomfort.

"Poor thing; she's probably hungry." Turning his attention back to Sherlock, John straightened up, gesturing to the bottle in the detective's hand. "Come one, then. I'll go show you how to feed her."

The two made their way out of the kitchen, Sherlock trying to calm Carmen down as she fussed in his arms.

Bottle in hand, Sherlock sat down on the couch, automatically moving the little girl to the crook of his arm.

"Good. Now just make sure that you did get any air in the top of the bottle, and you should be set to go." He gave Sherlock a small nod of his head and a reassuring smile. "I should be back soon."

"Well wait—What do I do once she's done?" the detective asked quickly as John made his way to the stairs.

"Oh. Just burp her, and change her nappy when necessary. I shouldn't be gone too long. You might need to make another bottle, though. Don't worry you'll be fine." With another quick smile, the doctor turned around, hurrying down the stairs, and leaving Sherlock alone with the little girl in his arms.

The detective stared towards the doorway, bottle held up in the air.

The sound of Carmen fussing in his arms pulled Sherlock away from his thoughts.

"Sorry," he murmured quickly, turning his attention back to the little girl.

Carefully, Sherlock moved the bottle towards Carmen's mouth. Eagerly, the little girl latched on, sucking happily at the formula inside.

The detective smiled to himself. "There you go," he whispered happily.

Now content, the little girl's eyes slid shut and she snuggled deeper into Sherlock's hold.

"Mmm," she sighed happily, blinking slowly up at the detective.

"Hello," he murmured, lips turning up in a small smile as Carmen stared up at him, eyes glowing with wonder. The detective took a moment to just stare at the little girl, momentarily frozen by how small she was. At a guess, he would say she was only a few days old. Maybe a week at the most.

"You're kind of beautiful... Do you know that?" he asked gently, running a finger across the little girl's cheek.

Without even realizing he was doing it, the detective bent down towards Carmen, moving very slowly. Closing his eyes, he pressed an incredibly gentle kiss to the little girl's forehead, blushing at his own actions.

"Mmm," Carmen sighed quietly, closing her eyes as Sherlock pressed his lips to her forehead. She turned slightly, pressing her cheek against the detective's arm as she continued drinking. "Hm," she hummed, keeping her eyes closed.

The light, airy noise made the detective smile to himself. Allowing his lips to linger on the little girl's skin, Sherlock took a deep breath, finding Carmen's sweet smell soothing. Lips turned up in a small smile, he pulled away, gazing fondly down at the little girl.

Upon feeling the absence of Sherlock's face close to hers, Carmen rolled back, and opened her eyes, gazing up at the detective with wide, blue eyes.

The two sat in silence, staring at each other while Carmen finished her bottle. "Bbb," she gurgled upon drinking the last of the formula.

"Right... There we go." Gently, Sherlock pulled the bottle out of her mouth, placing it on the ground next to the couch. "Well, then. What shall we do now?" he asked, keeping the little boy in the crook of his arms.

"Dbb," she hummed, reaching her tiny, chubby arms up towards Sherlock's face.

"Hey there!" the detective cooed, talking in a high-pitched voice. He opened his mouth, making comical babbling noises.

"Baaa!" the little girl giggled happily, a wide grin spreading across her face. She clenched her tiny hands open and closed, trying to grab at Sherlock's face.

Smiling, the detective bent his head down, pulling his mouth closed. He tenderly brushed his nose against Carmen's, chuckling in his deep, baritone voice, which only made the little girl giggle more.

Grinning, Carmen reached her hands forward, pressing her tiny hands against the detective's lips.

"Hello, Carmen," he cooed, smiling fondly as the little girl's fingernails brushed against his lips. Without thinking, he pursed his lips, tenderly kissing Carmen's fingers.

Smiling to himself, Sherlock quickly opened his mouth, widening his eyes as he made a quiet "Ahhh" sound. Carmen's eyes widened as she felt the detective's lips fall open. Mouth hanging open in wonder, she pressed he fingers forward, trying to shove them into the detective's now-open mouth.

"Aha! Nope!" Sherlock laughed, quickly pressing his mouth shut again. Carmen froze, blinking quickly as she felt Sherlock's lips pressing against her hands once again, the gaping hole suddenly gone.

She frowned momentarily, pushing as hard as she could against the detective's mouth.

"Almost," Sherlock chuckled quietly, pressing another gentle kiss to Carmen's tiny fingers. Any trepidation forgotten, the little girl's grin returned. She curled her fingers against Sherlock's skin, trying weakly to part his lips.

Smiling lovingly, the detective took one of his hands and moved it to his mouth, wrapping his long fingers around both of Carmen's tiny hands. Chuckling, he gently pulled the little girl's hands away, keeping them loosely wrapped in his own.

"Bbb," she babbled happily, staring up at the detective as he gently placed her hands on her bare chest. As Sherlock started to pull his hand back, Carmen reached out with one of hers, wrapping her fingers around the detective's thumb.

Sherlock's hand stilled upon feeling Carmen's tiny hand grab ahold of his finger. He felt his breath catch in his throat, that same fluttering sensation floating through his stomach and chest.

Trying to catch his breath, Sherlock moved his attention to Carmen, who was staring back at him, a content look on her sweet face. She blinked slowly, taking a deep breath as her fingers tightened around Sherlock's thumb.

"Amazing," the detective murmured out loud, staring fondly down at Carmen.

Suddenly very tired from all of the excitement, and now much more content now that she had eaten, Carmen yawned widely, stretching her small body against Sherlock's arms.

"You're probably tired, hmm?" he whispered, moving back. Tenderly, and trying carefully not to move the hand Carmen had wrapped around his thumb, Sherlock stood up, pulling the little girl onto his chest. "Shhh," he whispered, gently swaying back and forth as he situated Carmen's small form against his still-bare chest.

Murmuring to the little girl, Sherlock slowly meandered into his bedroom, preferring to rest on his bed rather than the couch.

"Okay," he said slowly, lowering himself onto the bed and trying not to jostle Carmen too much.

"Ahhh," she yawned again, pressing her face into Sherlock's skin.

The detective smiled as he moved Carmen's small body up towards his face. "There we go." Using his free hand, he tenderly moved the little girl's head so her face was not pressed face down into his chest.

"Mmm," she sighed happily, now much more comfortable. Eyes drooping, she gazed up at Sherlock, snuggling down into his warm skin.

The corner of his lips turned up in a lovingly smile, Sherlock moved his hand with Carmen's fingers wrapped around his thumb and placed it on his chest, pressing here tiny fingers against the skin. Getting comfortable, he shifted slowly. "Sorry," he apologized quickly upon hearing an unhappy grunt from Carmen.

Getting comfortable once again, the little girl turned her head, facing up at the detective.

"Sleep tight, Carmen," Sherlock murmured, placing his free hand on the back of the little girl's head. He began to very slowly rub his fingertips back and forth across the smooth skin, amazed once again that Carmen's entire head could fit in is palm.

With each gentle brush of Sherlock's fingers, Carmen blinked tiredly, leaning further and further into his chest.

"Hmm," she sighed quietly, her eyes finally sliding shut.

"Goodnight, Carmen," the detective whispered. He leaned down and tenderly pressed his lips to the top of Carmen's head.

"Well," he murmured against the little girl's skin, absentmindedly rubbing his index finger back and forth across the fingers Carmen had wrapped around his thumb. "Day one is almost done, Carmen... I'd say we're doing pretty well so far." He gazed down, smiling fondly as Carmen shifted against him, her small hand now resting on his collarbone.

"Day one..."


	3. Chapter 3

"Sherlock?" John called, bustling up the stairs with several large bags in his hands. He quickly glanced around the flat, but upon seeing no sign of his flat mate, he called again, "Sherlock?"

"Bedroom," came the quiet reply of his friend.

Turning towards Sherlock's bedroom, John quickly dropped the bags on the floor.

"How'd she do?" he asked quietly, entering the detective's room.

"Very well," Sherlock answered, gazing down at the little girl on his chest. "She's been sleeping most of the time you've been gone. What have you gotten?"

"Just some things like food, clothes, nappies. Oh—I also got a cot for her to sleep in while she's here, as well as some toys." John smiled fondly at the little girl sleeping on his flat mate's chest. "I've just got to go get the cot out of the cab. Be right back." The doctor hurried out of the room, already pulling out money to pay the cabbie.

Sherlock chuckled, smiling after the doctor.

"Mmm." Corners of his lips still turned upward, he glanced down at Carmen, who was still sound asleep on his chest, her small body moving up and down as she breathed. Moving as slowly as he could, and keeping the little girl snuggled tightly to his chest, the detective rolled onto his side and—almost reluctantly—placed Carmen on the bed, making sure she was on her back. Slowly rising off the bed, he turned back and placed some of his pillows on the other side of the bed, and then repeated the process on his side as he stood up.

"Be right back," he whispered. He quickly pulled off his robe, draping the warm fabric over Carmen's body. Moving as quietly as he could, he grabbed t-shirt and pulled it on, not bothering to change his trousers.

"Okay," he sighed as he turned back to the bed and gently pulled the tiny girl into his arms. "Let's go help John."

Trying his best not to jostle Carmen, Sherlock walked into the kitchen and meandered over to the many bags lying on the floor. He squatted down and pushed away some of the plastic material to see several plastic bottles as well as several bins of baby formula. He quickly scanned the other bags of shopping, which seemed to consist of baby grows, nappies, wipes, a baby bath and some baby soap.

"Hey, Sherlock! Some help?"

The detective turned upon hearing John bustling up the stairs. He stood up and walked over to the landing to see the doctor, several more bags hanging off of his arms and a large box in his hands struggling up the stairs.

"Here. Just take the bags," he groaned, sliding the shopping into Sherlock's outstretched hand. "Oh… Thanks," he sighed, placing the box on the ground. The detective peered into the bags.

"More diapers? How many could she possibly use?" Sherlock asked incredulously, gazing at John.

The doctor paused, staring at his flat mate with a look that obviously said, "Really? Are you serious?"

Suddenly John broke into a fit of laughter.

"What?" Sherlock asked, frustrated that he didn't understand what his friend was laughing at.

"Ohh… I just think you're in for a rude awakening, that's all," John chuckled, wiping at his eyes. "Yes. She will go through all of these nappies at a surprisingly fast rate. To be honest, when she wakes up, she'll probably need a diaper change; I'm amazed she hasn't needed one yet." He smiled at Sherlock, who looked positively disgusted.

"Sherlock," John chuckled. "It's what babies do. Better get used it." He gave the detective a quick clap on the shoulder. "Come on, then. Let's put this thing together," he said, pointing to the baby crib.

"Mmm."

Thirty minutes later, a smug looking Sherlock and a very frustrated looking John was sat on the floor with a competed crib.

"I told you it would fit," the detective said with a proud look on his face as he gently bounced Carmen in his arms.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," John said hurriedly, standing up off the ground. "I know, I know. But at least it's finished." He took a deep sigh, examining his work with a proud nod of his head. "Why don't you try it out?"

"You mean, put her in there?" Sherlock asked reluctantly.

"Yeah! See if she sleeps well in it," John said enthusiastically.

Moving slowly, the detective stood up and gently placed Carmen in the cot.

As he started to pull his hands away, the little girl's features pulled together into an unhappy expression.

"Mmm," she groaned unhappily, thrusting her tiny arms into the air, as if to reach back out for Sherlock.

"Oh! Well hey there," the detective said quietly, immediately reaching forward to pull Carmen back into his arms.

Bleary-eyed, but content now that she was back in Sherlock's arms, the tiny girl yawned, sighing deeply as she gazed up at the detective.

"Do you think she doesn't like it?" Sherlock asked worriedly as he situated Carmen in his arms.

"No, Sherlock. I was only joking. She was just unhappy to be out of your arms, that's all." He gave his friend a reassuring smile. "I say we try our first nappy change, hmm?"

"Ugh," Sherlock groaned, rolling his eyes.

"Yep! Come on," John chuckled, grabbing the bag of nappies and wipes.


	4. Chapter 4

After having successfully changed his first nappy (with much help from John), Sherlock meandered out of the kitchen, a bottle in one hand, Carmen resting peacefully in the crook of his arm.

"Thank you, John," he said, rather embarrassedly, turning back to give the doctor a small smile.

"You'll get the hang of it," he chuckled. "Oh! Hey, I've got to go! I'm going to be late… Umm… Do you think you'll be okay?"

"Please, John. You think I can't take care of a baby? Yes. We'll be fine."

"Okay," the doctor said skeptically, giving his flat mate a sly smile. "Good luck then. If you need anything, just ring me and I'll be right over. Even if it's late… Bye, Carmen," he said happily, reaching forward to wrap his hands around the girl's tiny ones. He shook them gently, making funny babbling noises, which caused Carmen to giggle and grin.

Smiling at the little girl, John pulled away, releasing Carmen's hands. He gave Sherlock a warm smile. "Right, then," he said quietly. "I'll see you later. Remember, you can call me at any time."

"Thank you, John. I will, but I'm sure we'll be fine. Have a good—you know—time with Mary… On your date," he said awkwardly, eyes downcast. "I'll be sure to call if I need anything."

John smiled at his friend. "Thanks, Sherlock. I'll see you two later." With one last reassuring smile, the doctor turned around and hurried out of the flat.

With the closing of the front door, the flat was suddenly silent except for the quietly babbling of Carmen as she began to chew on her fingers.

Sherlock drew his attention away from the empty stairwell and back to the little girl in his arms. He smiled, chuckling to himself as Carmen continued to gnaw away at her hand.

"Hope they taste good," he chuckled, sitting down in his chair. He grabbed the remote and turned on the television, switching it to a children's show.

"There we go," he said quietly, moving Carmen so she was sitting upright in his lap, leaning back against his stomach.

"Hey, Carmen… See?" Smiling at the little girl, Sherlock pointed to the screen, hoping to draw her attention to the show.

Eventually, upon hearing the noise coming from the television, Carmen gazed up at the cartoons playing on the screen, fingers now forgotten.

"Muuu," she hummed quietly, staring wide-eyed at the screen. Her small head fell back, gently bumping against Sherlock's stomach.

The detective smiled fondly, and wrapped his hand around Carmen's tiny middle, subconsciously playing with her chubby fingers with the other hand.

Suddenly and with a slight gasp, Carmen squealed happily, laughing at the cartoons on the screen. Her head wobbled slightly, brushing against Sherlock's shirt. Chuckling, the detective released Carmen's fingers to help steady her shaky body.

"There you go," he murmured as the little girl regained her balance, still totally entranced by the telly.

She began to laugh again, happily flailing her arms about. Grinning widely, she reached down, wrapping her hand around one of the fingers Sherlock had around her middle.

"Buu!" she cooed happily, leaning her head back to gaze up at the detective with a large smile on her face.

"Hey there," he said happily, giving the little girl a warm smile.

"Baaa," she replied, her grip tightening around Sherlock's finger. She smiled up at Sherlock, and, wobbling greatly, tried to reach for the detective's face with her free hand.

His deep rumble of a laugh filling the flat, Sherlock gently grabbed Carmen's tiny hand in his own. "Got them!" Grinning, he bent down, and pressed a tender kiss to the little girl's fingers.

Deep blue eyes bright with happiness, Carmen's smile slowly faded to be replaced by a peaceful, yet concentrated expression. Her hand subconsciously clenched and unclenched around Sherlock's finger.

"Hello," the detective murmured, gazing down at Carmen with a small smile on his lips. "I wonder what you think about," he mused out loud, eyes scanning the small girl's cute face.

"Mmm," Carmen sighed in response, lips turning up as she continued to stare at the detective. Feeling an unusual warmth in his chest, Sherlock bent forward and pressed a gentle kiss to Carmen's forehead. The little girl's eyes slid shut as she felt the detective's lips press against her skin.

"Hmm..."

Smiling, Sherlock pulled away, and quickly brushed his fingertips over Carmen's cheek.

Suddenly, upon hearing the loud sounds of the television, Carmen turned her head away from Sherlock, now completely engrossed in the telly once again. Her chubby fingers remained wrapped around the detective's finger.

 

 

Several hours later, after having changed many more nappies, made several more bottles and watched far too many ridiculous children's shows to count, Sherlock was lying on the couch, Carmen sitting contently on his chest as she played with the collar of his shirt.

"My, you're tiring," he sighed dramatically, running his fingertips over the small girl's head.

"Mmm," she hummed in response, completely engrossed in playing with the detective's shirt.

Sherlock chuckled light-heartedly, lips twitching upward in a small smile as he studied Carmen. The detective's thoughts were interrupted, though, by the sound of his phone going off. Careful not to move the little girl on his chest too much, Sherlock wrapped his hand around Carmen's middle and reached for his phone with his other hand. He quickly checked the phone. Text from John.

He hurriedly opened the message, worried about why his flatmate might be messaging him.

By the way, I was just going to suggest that if you run out of things to do, maybe giving her a bath or talk to her until she falls asleep... Just a suggestion. JW

Sherlock could practically see the doctor smiling smugly, a smirk on his face. He chuckled and quickly texted back a reply with one hand.

Duly noted. Thanks. SH

He smiled, quickly tossing the phone away and turned his attention back to Carmen, who was yawning widely, her small face crumpling together.

"What do you say, Carmen?" he chuckled lightly, running his knuckles up and down the little girl's back. "Shall we try a bath?"

The tiny girl stared at him with heavy eyes, grabbing a fistful of the detective's shirt in her small hand as she yawned again.

"I agree. Let's try it." Moving slowly, Sherlock gently transferred Carmen to his arms as he stood up off the couch. He grabbed his phone again, as it occurred to him that he had no idea how to give her a bath. He quickly skimmed the instructions on several websites, coming to a conclusion about how he should go about bathing Carmen.

Snuggling Carmen close, the detective walked into the kitchen and grabbed a small cloth from one of the drawers. Smiling as the little girl yawned again, he quickly started the water running, turning it to warm. As he waited for the sink water to warm up, Sherlock quickly pulled off the babygrow John had convinced him to dress Carmen in, and then took of the little girl's nappy, throwing it away in the bin.

He turned back and tested the water. Concluding it was warm enough, but not too warm to harm Carmen, Sherlock tenderly moved the little girl's small body until her head was in the palm of his hand, her tiny body resting on his forearm.

"Ready?" he murmured quietly, the corner of his lips turning up as Carmen yawned again, the small sound escaping her lips making his chest flood with warmth.

Smiling to himself, Sherlock quickly wet the cloth down and moved it back towards Carmen's body. He hesitated slightly upon seeing the tiny girl staring up at him with heavy eyelids. She started to fuss slightly, squirming in the detective's arms.

"Shhh," Sherlock soothed, pressing the wet washcloth to Carmen's skin. He began to gently move it back and forth across her stomach, glad that it seemed to be calming her down quite a bit.

He slowly turned, placing the wet cloth in the sink and dumped a small amount of baby soap into his hand, careful to keep Carmen safely balanced against his arm. "Here we go," he whispered, slowly moving his hand across Carmen's stomach, rubbing the soap against her skin.

"Mmm," she sighed, soothed by the gentle feel of Sherlock's hand against her skin. She fought to keep her eyelids open as the detective started to rinse her off, rubbing the wet washcloth over her tiny body.

With the sound of the water running in her ears, the feel of the warm cloth against her skin and the sound of Sherlock's deep baritone voice filling the room, Carmen's eyes slowly slid shut as she fell asleep, her head rolling to the side in the detective's hand.

Sherlock smiled as he felt Carmen's body go limp in his arms, her small features pulled together in a peaceful, almost happy, expression.

Trying to make as little noise as possible, the detective slowly rinsed of his hand, and dropped the wet washcloth in the sink.

He grabbed another cloth and began to gently dry off Carmen's wet body. "Hmm," he murmured happily, moving out of the kitchen. Careful not to jostle the little girl too much, Sherlock quickly put a nappy on Carmen before heading to his room. He glanced at the crib, which was still resting, completed, by the window.

Deciding he would rather have Carmen with him, Sherlock moved into his room and laid down the bed, moving the little girl's sleeping form upward on his chest. Figuring she might be cold, he quickly pulled the covers over both of their bodies, and placed his hands on her bare back.

Content to be wrapped in the warmth of Sherlock's arms, Carmen sighed happily, pressing her small form against the detective's chest. She began to murmur in her sleep, lips moving ever so slightly against Sherlock's shirt. The detective smiled at the sensation, and gazed down at the sleeping girl on his chest. He felt that familiar warmth spread through his chest and flutter his stomach.

Smiling lovingly at Carmen, Sherlock took one of the little girl's hands in his own much-larger one and closed his eyes, listening to her steady breathing. He began to absentmindedly rub his thumb across Carmen's small fingers, finding the gentle rise and fall of her chest against his skin oddly soothing.

"Goodnight, Carmen," he murmured contently, smiling as he felt her small form snuggling against him. "Ready for day two..."

With that, the consulting detective slipped away into sleep, Carmen snuggled tightly against his chest, her incredibly tiny hand wrapped safely in his own as their first day together came to a peaceful end.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I just wanted to quickly apologize for all of the mistakes in these; they have not been proofread yet. =/ I plan on going back through all of them this weekend and fixing the errors that I know are in there. =) So please excuse those and thanks so much! (Sorry it took so long to update this, by the way. I've had a crazy week!) Thanks guys! =) I really appreciate it!

Chapter Five

Sherlock was awoken by a stirring on his chest. Slightly confused as to what the source would be, the detective opened his eyes, freezing as he felt something move under his hand.

"Oh," he sighed in relief, remembering that there was now a little girl with him. Smiling to himself, Sherlock gazed down at Carmen, who was shifting against his chest, clenching her hands together in discomfort. She groaned unhappily, pressing her face into the detective's shirt.

"Hello," Sherlock chuckled happily, gently running his fingertips across Carmen's bare back. He shifted slightly, placing one hand under the little girl's bottom, and the other on the back of her head as he sat up on the bed, resting against the headboard. "There we go," he murmured, holding Carmen's small body close to his chest.

"Mmm," the little girl hummed contently, glad to be wrapped in Sherlock's warm embrace. Blinking slowly, she turned in the detective's arms, gazing up at him with tired eyes. Her mouth fell open as she gazed up at Sherlock. "Bbb..." Head wobbling slightly Carmen reached up with a tiny hand, trying to reach the detective's face.

Chuckling to himself, Sherlock leaned his head down, allowing easier access for Carmen's fingers. Keeping one hand safely on her back, the detective wrapped his long fingers around the little girl's wrist, and slowly guided her hand to his lips.

"Mmm-wah!" he said comically, pressing a tender kiss to Carmen's fingers. "I'm going to... Eat them!"

"Ah!" the little girl gasped, wrapping her fingers around Sherlock's thumb as she tired to pull away.

"Mmm!" Grinning, the detective curled his lips inward, gently pressing the tips of Carmen's fingers between them.

"Ah-mm!" Squealing happily, the little girl curled her fingers against Sherlock's lips, attempting to pry them open.

Chuckling at her efforts, and making sure to keep her held close, Sherlock quickly leaned forward, placing Carmen's small body on the bed. Smiling fondly at the little girl, he quickly bent down, and pressed his lips to Carmen's stomach. Making funny cooing noises, he gently blew a raspberry against the little girl's skin, which sent her into a fit of laughs.

Grinning at the light, almost bell-like sound of Carmen's laughter, Sherlock leaned back, staring lovingly at the little girl, whose face was scrunched up in delight as she giggled. He slowly wrapped each of his hands around her small ones and leaned back, this time pressing quick kisses to her cheeks and neck.

"Ahh!" she giggled, grabbing tightly onto the detective's fingers as she tried to catch her breath.

"Hmm," Sherlock chuckled, staring fondly at the little girl in front of him. He took a moment to pause and really look at Carmen's sweet features, absentmindedly rubbing his thumb over the little girl's tiny fingers. He felt his breath catch in his throat as Carmen opened her eyes, the deep blue of her irises staring up at him. Struggling to find his breath again, Sherlock slowly bent down and pressed an incredibly tender kiss to the little girl's forehead.

"Mmm," Carmen hummed happily, closing her eyes as the detective kissed her skin. Keeping her eyes closed, she reached up, releasing her hand from Sherlock's hold, and pressed her fingers to his lips.

"Mmm. Thank you," Sherlock whispered, smiling under Carmen's hand. Using his free hand, the detective quickly brushed the tips of his fingers across the little girl's head. "Come on then," he murmured, gently pulling her back into his arms. "I say we get some food."

Humming to himself, Sherlock placed one hand under Carmen's bottom as he stood up off the bed. He wrapped his fingers around the little girl's hand, and pulled it close to his chest as he slowly meandered out of the room.

Carmen blinked tiredly, leaning her head against Sherlock's arm as he entered the kitchen.

"Ohh," he sighed quietly, hurrying around the kitchen as he started to make a bottle. "Here we go…" Noticing that Carmen was starting to become fussy in his arms, he hurriedly twisted the lid onto the bottle. "I know, I know. You're hungry," he chuckled, hurrying out of the kitchen.

"Okay… Umm… There," he mumbled to himself as he sat down in his chair and moved Carmen to the crook of his arm. He quickly slipped the bottle into her mouth, which was already open in preparation.

"Mmm," she sighed contently, her eyes rolling back as she sucked at the bottle. Sherlock smiled down at the little girl, absentmindedly rocking back and forth.

Eyes fluttering open, Carmen reached up with her arms, placing her hands on either side of the bottle. Eyes sliding shut once again, her chubby fingers curled against Sherlock's fingers.

The detective continued to stare at the little girl, a strange feeling of warmth spreading through his chest.

"Amazing," he murmured out loud. "You can't even speak yet, but already…" He paused, the corner of his lips turning up as he felt that familiar fluttering in his stomach. "Already I'm becoming attached to you… Amazing."

Listening to the deep sound of Sherlock's voice, Carmen quickly finished the bottle, resting contently in the crook of the detective's arm.

"Done?" Sherlock asked as he gently tugged the bottle out of Carmen's mouth. "Good. Well! I say we go get dressed, hmm?" he proposed cheerfully, lightly bouncing the little girl in his arms.

"Baa," Carmen cooed happily, reaching her arms up towards the detective.

"Wonderful. Sounds good to me, too." Chuckling as Carmen started to talk to herself, babbling happily, Sherlock left the chair, placing the empty bottle on the ground. Gently bouncing the little girl in his arms, the detective walked over to the kitchen, looking for an outfit for Carmen in the many bags of shopping scattered about the kitchen.

"Really, John?" he asked out loud upon seeing the outfits John had chosen. "Please," he muttered unhappily, snatching a light pink babygrow from one of the bags, concluding it was the least hideous of all of them.

"Don't worry," he huffed indignantly, talking to Carmen, who seemed to be completely oblivious. "As soon as we're able, we will be going out and buy some new—sensible—clothing. No child of mine will ever—"

Sherlock froze, upon realizing what he'd just said. "Oh—Umm," he stuttered, as if he was afraid Carmen could understood him. "I just…" He paused, watching silently as the little girl started to chew happily on her fingers.

Taking a deep breath, Sherlock started to ponder over what he'd said… He knew he wasn't supposed to become attached to Carmen, seeing as she could be taken away at a moment's notice… But there was a strange nagging sensation at the back of the detective's head; a small ray of hope that maybe—just maybe—Carmen might be able to stay with him… In which case she would become his daughter.

Sherlock suddenly found he was having trouble thinking properly; all of his thoughts seemed to be crashing into one another as one word echoed in his mind: daughter. He gazed at Carmen, who, fingers now forgotten, was staring up at the detective with a sweet smile on her face.

Sherlock managed a small smile, subconsciously pulling the little girl's small body closer to his chest. The thought that there was even a remote possibility that the tiny human being in his arms—this person whom he barely even knew yet—could be his daughter made the detective's chest flood with warmth…

"Oh," he sighed in realization as he stared into Carmen's deep blue eyes. "I understand… Love." Without thinking, he quickly bent down and pressed a gentle kiss to the tip of Carmen's nose. "Love," he repeated, almost in awe, lips brushing against the little girl's skin as he spoke. "Simply amazing… You know, Carmen, it may sound crazy, seeing as we've only just met," Sherlock continued, smiling fondly as he made his way to his room. "But I do believe I may be in love with you." He grinned happily as Carmen babbled a response in reply, and, though he clearly knew the little girl could not understand him, Sherlock secretly hoped she was answering him.

"Love," he murmured to himself, unable to stop himself from smiling at the way the words felt on his lips. "I've never really told anyone that before," he told Carmen quietly, that same fluttering feeling dancing in his chest.

"Mmm," the little girl hummed in reply, enjoying the sound of Sherlock's voice. Closing her eyes, Carmen took a deep breath as she turned in the detective's arms, pressing her tiny form against his chest. Sighing contently, she grabbed a tiny fistful of Sherlock's shirt in her hand, leaning her weight into his chest.

As the detective entered his room, she opened her eyes, a small smile playing on her lips as Sherlock continued to speak, his low voice filing the quiet flat.

"You know," he started quietly, gently swaying back and forth as he held Carmen's small body close. "I think we'll be all right. And," he lowered his voice to a whisper, "between you and me, I'm usually right." He smiled fondly as the little girl in his arms started to reply, babbling happily as her lips brushed against his the fabric of his shirt.

"Come on then," he said, smiling as he pressed a quick kiss to Carmen's head. "Let's have a go at day two."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Just wanted to say that I am SO SORRY it took me this long to update! I promise, next time should be much sooner. =D Thank you so much! Have a good weekend! =)
> 
> (Also, please excuse all of the mistakes; this has not been proofread or anything at all, so there are probably many errors! I will go back and fix them as soon as I get the chance this weekend. Thanks!)

Chapter Six

Sherlock was resting on the couch, Carmen sleeping soundly on his bare chest as his eyes quickly skimmed over his phone. The detective had spent most of the day either resting on the couch while the little girl slept or on the ground, entertaining her time and time again as he tickled her stomach and made faces.

After having laughed herself to exhaustion once again, Carmen quickly fell asleep on the floor, which meant it was time for her to nap, and for Sherlock to take a quick rest. Chuckling to himself as the little girl fell forward in his lap, her head gently bumping against his stomach, the detective pulled her into his arms and made his way back to the couch.

 

 

 

After having the realization that it was a real possibility that Carmen could be living with him, the detective had been looking for any and all information he could find on young infants. During each resting period, he would quickly pull out his mobile and search the internet until the little girl would wake up once again.

So far he'd learned that it was apparently very important for young babies to have lots of skin-to-skin contact with their parents, as it helped the children to bond and form connections with said parents. And, though at first he'd thought of the idea as rather ridiculous, Sherlock eventually found that he secretly enjoyed having Carmen's small body sleeping sounding against his bare skin. He found it oddly soothing to feel each of her deep breaths against his chest.

The detective had also learned that babies also require large amounts of attention from their parents, and, to help with development, should be cuddled and held and encouraged as much as possible. Though this was clearly not the case, Sherlock had started to worry that he might not have been holding Carmen as much as she needed, or giving her enough attention. He had then silently vowed to devote the rest of the day to playing with her as much as possible and spending time with her.

He had also become rather excited upon learning that it was good for infants to watch their parents while they were working, or doing simple things such as cooking, or cleaning. This meant it would actually be good for Carmen's development to watch him work on cases. He was very excited at the prospect of being able to introduce her to his world; show her what he did; fill her new, untouched mind with with as much information as he could...

Sherlock had become lost in his thoughts as his eyes continued to skim the screen of his mobile. His fingertips gently ghosted over the top of Carmen's small head, tenderly brushing against the soft skin as he read. He smiled absentmindedly as Carmen's small fingers curled against his skin.

He jumped suddenly, though, as his mobile buzzed in his hands, a loud "ring!" shattering the peace and quiet of the flat.

"What?" he asked hurriedly, thrusting the phone to his hear in the hope that it had not woken Carmen up. But it was too late. Sherlock groaned into the phone as he felt the little girl start to fuss against his skin, heard her start to moan as she pressed her small face into his chest.

"Wonderful," he sighed, talking to Lestrade, who was on the other end of the line. "You woke her up."

"Oh—Um, sorry!" the Inspector answered quickly. "It's just—I—Ugh! There's some new information on the case I want you to look at; I've just e-mailed it to you.

"Okay," Sherlock replied distractedly, trying to shush the fussing girl on his chest. "Good. Fine. I'll uhh...Yes."

"Right. Sorry, again!" Lestrade apologized once more. "Well I'll uhh... Leave you to it, then. Sorry!" With a gentle click, Greg was gone, leaving the detective alone with a now-very-unhappy baby.

Sherlock quickly tossed the phone away, using his free hand to try and console Carmen by running his fingertips up and down her back.

"Shh," he soothed gently, stand up off the couch. "Carmen, it's okay. Shh." Whispering quietly, Sherlock slowly moved the little girl, who was now wailing, over his shoulder. "I'm right here," he told her gently, placing one hand to the back of her tiny head.

Hoping to soothe Carmen, whose hands were now flailing unhappily in the air, the detective began to slowly pace around the flat, lightly bouncing her up and down in his arms. "Shh, Carmen. Please, it's okay, shh." Sherlock turned his head as he whispered, and the top of his cheek gently brushed against the little girl's head. "Hey," he whispered slowly, pressing a tender kiss to the top of Carmen's brow. "It's okay..." The detective quickly removed his hand from her back and brushed his fingertips across the top of her head. He smiled in spite of himself at the feel of the little girl's soft skin against his fingers.

Carmen was having none of it, though. Despite the detective's efforts to calm her down, the little girl only continued to scream, waving her fists in the air as she squirmed in Sherlock's arms. Clearly displeased with the situation, she started to lightly bang her fists against the detective's shoulder, pressing her face into his neck as she cried. One her hands gently bumped against Sherlock's head. Upon feeling the soft sensation, she stopped, the loud crying ceasing as she turned her face against the detective's skin to gaze up at her hand.

Sherlock smiled as he saw the little girl's eyes widen in amazement upon seeing his curly hair for the first time. Instantly she seemed to calm down, sniffling to herself as she stared at the detective's raven hair. Face pulled together in concentration, Carmen began to move her chubby fingers, grabbing a lock of hair in her hands. With a tiny grunt, she tried to scoot herself up, tugging slightly on Sherlock's scalp as she pulled at his curls.

"Hey, hey, hold on," the detective chuckled, wrapping his long fingers around the little girl's tiny hand. Smiling warmly, Sherlock walked back to the couch, and laid down, moving Carmen's tiny body so she was sitting on the top of his shoulder, her back resting against the back of the couch. "There you go," he murmured, reaching up to wrap a hand around her tiny waist, steadying her.

Sighing in amazement, Carmen leaned forward, pressing her chubby hands to Sherlock's face as she stared at his hair. The detective smiled, chuckling quietly at the feel of the little girl's fingers splayed across his lips and cheekbone.

"Mmm," Carmen hummed, scooting forward until she was practically sitting on top of Sherlock's face. Mumbling to herself, the small girl removed her hand from the detective's lips, moving it to his curly hair. Her other hand slid upwards until it was resting against one of his eyebrows. Sherlock watched with a fond look in his eyes as Carmen slowly pressed her chubby fingers to his curls. He absentmindedly rubbed his thumb up and down against her stomach.

Her mouth hanging open in wonder, and a small smile playing on her lips, Carmen began to twirl Sherlock's raven curls in her hand, giggling happily at the feel of it in her hands. Squealing with happiness, she pulled her hands away, and clapped them together, looking cheerfully at Sherlock.

"Ahh!" she cheered, pointing to his hair.

"Yes," the detective chuckled, smiling lovingly at the little girl. "I know." He quickly tickled her tiny stomach, sending her into another fit of giggles.

Trying to catch her breath, and still grinning, Carmen turned her attention back to the detective's hair, pressing her fingers to the soft curls. "Baah!" she sighed happily, grabbing some of the dark hair in her tiny hands. She examined it with her deep blue eyes, pressing her face closer to Sherlock's as she smiled.

The detective watched lovingly as Carmen played with his hair, enjoying the gentle feel of the little girl's fingers. His lips quirked up into a smile and, moving slowly, he turned his face and pressed a tender kiss to the corner of Carmen's lips.

"Mmm," the little girl hummed in response, closing her eyes as the detective gave her a kiss. Hair now forgotten, she released the raven curls, and turned her attention back to Sherlock's face, pressing one of her hands to his jaw, the other to his lips.

"Hello, there," he murmured quietly, pressing a loving kiss to the fingers pressing against his lips. "You're pretty cute," he added, more to himself.

Carmen smiled in response, and leaned/fell forward onto Sherlock's face. Mimicking what she'd just seen him do, she pursed her lips as she rested against his face, giving the detective a tiny kiss.

Sherlock smiled, feeling a warmth spread across his cheek where Carmen had just kissed his skin. He closed his eyes, blinking slowly as the little girl rested against his face.

"Thank you, Carmen," he whispered, moving to place a tender hand to the back of her head. The little girl smiled in response, taking a deep breath as her hands curled against the detective's skin. "Baa," she gurgled happily, trying to push herself away from Sherlock's face.

"Here we go." With careful hands, Sherlock gently pulled the little girl's tiny body away from his face, setting her on his chest. He kept one hand around her tiny waist, and placed the other on her back for support. She sat, staring contently at the detective as she leaned back into his touch, her head wobbling unsteadily as she sat.

"Hi there," he said gently, giving her a warm smile.

The two were interrupted by the sound of Sherlock's phone "binging" once. He quickly found the discarded mobile, keeping one hand wrapped firmly around Carmen's middle, and then opened the e-mail Lestrade had sent him. Smiling excitedly as he quickly read the new details of the case, the detective shoved the phone into his pocket, mind racing as he turned his attention back to the little girl sitting on his stomach.

"Well!" he said excitedly, sitting up on the couch. He gently placed Carmen in his lap, grinning down at her. "Come on, then! We have a case to solve."

 

 

 

Several minutes later, Sherlock was dressed in his signature suit, Carmen was sitting in her baby carriage, facing the detective who was pacing back and forth, hands pressed together in front of his face. She stared up at him with wide eyes, watching in awe as he started to talk to himself.

"Why? Why did she die? There must... Of course there is. Stupid. Okay... So she was... No. Incorrect. Further data required..."

Carmen started to giggle to herself, squealing happily as she watched Sherlock.

The detective paused, stopping mid-pace to turn and look at the little girl. Despite his frustration with the case, the corner of Sherlock's lips turned up into a smile as he watched Carmen giggling up at him.

"Buu!" she cried happily, reaching her arms forward towards the detective, straining against the restraints around her small body.

"Of course," Sherlock murmured, smiling down at the little girl. Chuckling at her excitement, the detective moved towards her baby carriage, kneeling down on the ground. "Ohhh," he sighed, pulling the little girl out of her baby seat. "You think I'm funny, hmm?" he asked comically, gently tickling Carmen's stomach.

"Ahh," the little girl giggled happily, falling forward in the detective's arms to press her hands to his mouth. "Muu," she told him, pushing her fingers against his lips as a way of silencing him.

"Okay, okay," Sherlock chuckled, pressing a quick kiss to her hands. "Point made." He gave the little girl a slight nod of his head.

Clearly pleased now, Carmen smiled and leaned back in the detective's arms. Sherlock smiled, careful to support her unsteady figure with a hand on the little girl's back. "There we go. Now. About this case... Let's see... Well I suppose I should bring you up to speed on everything that's happened. Hmm... Well, first there was the..."

The detective paced around the flat, keeping Carmen close to his chest as the two "solved" their first case together.

 

 

 

It was nearly a week later when Sherlock finally received the call he'd been waiting for.

"Yes, Lestrade?" he asked, picking up his ringing mobile. He was seated in his chair with Carmen sitting contently in his lap, her back resting against his stomach as they watched a children's TV show together.

Before the DI had even said a word, the detective could sense something was different. He sat up, subconsciously pulling Carmen's small body closer. "Yes? What is it, what have you found?" he asked hastily, desperate to hear the Inspector's words.

"Well," Lestrade began darkly, taking a deep breath on the other end of the line. Sherlock tensed, expecting the worse. He grasped tightly onto Carmen's small body, a strong sense of protection burning in his stomach.

"Well?"

"Well... It would appear that there are no living relatives capable of taking care of Carmen." Sherlock could hear Lestrade smiling at the other end of the line. "Some paperwork and she's all yours!"

Sherlock felt an overwhelming sense of relief rush through his body. He exhaled deeply, staring at down at the little girl on his lap with thankful eyes. Carmen, who had clearly sensed the change in mood, was staring up at the detective, deep blue eyes wide with worry.

"It's okay," Sherlock breathed, bending down to press a tender kiss to the top of her head. "It's all okay... Thank you, Lestrade," he added, grinning widely in relief. "Oh... I just... Sorry, I'm—I don't—"

"It's okay, Sherlock," Lestrade chuckled. "I understand. You don't need to explain. How about your brother and I see if we can't take care of as much as possible, huh?"

Sherlock chuckled, his deep, rumbling voice filling the otherwise-quiet flat. Upon hearing the soothing noise, Carmen relaxed, leaning back and snuggling against the detective's stomach.

"Thank you, Lestrade," he chuckled gratefully. "It uh... Means—a lot, so umm... Yes. Good. I'll head over to the Yard as soon as possible."

"Great! Sounds good. I'll see you two soon."

"Yes." Grinning in relief, Sherlock quickly tossed the phone away and turned his attention to Carmen, who was resting peacefully against his stomach.

"Oh!" he cried, unable to contain his excitement and joy. Pulling the little girl into his arms, Sherlock practically hopped off of the chair. Laughing and grinning, the detective danced around the room, pressing tender kisses to Carmen's cheeks, her stomach, her nose and her hands.

Glad for the affection, the little girl grinned, giggling happily in Sherlock's arms. She reached up, grabbing ahold of the detective's collar and pressed her face into his collarbone, smiling happily. "Baa!" she said cheerfully, talking into his skin.

"Ohh," Sherlock sighed, pressing Carmen's tiny body close to his chest. "Finally," he whispered, pausing in the middle of the room to press his face into the top of the little girl's head. He took a deep breath, reveling in Carmen's sweet smell and the feel of her smooth skin against his cheek.

"I love you," he murmured, closing his eyes as he hugged her close to his chest. The little girl sighed against his skin, almost as if she could understand what the detective had told her. "I love you, Carmen," he whispered again, pressing a tender kiss to her head. He pulled back, rubbing his hand up and down her tiny back. "Daughter," he murmured in amazement, trying the new word out on his tongue. He smiled at the feel of it. "Come on then," he said, giving her a gentle pat on the back. "Let's go."

 

 

 

Carmen slept throughout the entire cab ride to the yard, sleeping soundly against Sherlock's chest. The detective was practically bouncing with excitement and anxiousness throughout the entire ride, absentmindedly running his fingers over the little girl's head as he glanced out of the windows, willing the cab to move faster.

When the cab finally pulled up outside of Scotland Yard, seeing how cold it was outside, Sherlock tucked the still-sleeping Carmen inside his coat, allowing her to continue to sleep peacefully. The detective quickly paid the cab driver, and with the little girl wrapped warmly in his arms, made his way through the doors.

 

 

 

By the time Sherlock reached Lestrade's office, he had managed to get past all of the workers without having them suspect a thing; Carmen had remained sleeping the entire time, and she was safely concealed by his coat.

"Oh! Hey there... Umm... Where is she?" Lestrade asked as the detective entered his office, clearly very confused as to where the little girl might of have gone. "Sherlock, you didn't leave her at home did you?" he cried, hurrying forward. He stopped upon seeing Sherlock open his coat to reveal a very tiny baby, sleeping soundly. The Inspector couldn't help but feel guilty as he saw the look of complete hurt on the detective's face.

"Sorry," he apologized quietly, eyes downcast in embarrassment.

"It's fine," Sherlock whispered quietly, trying to conceal the strange sense of hurt he felt. "Nevermind. Do you have the umm..."

"Oh! Right. Yes of course! Actually, I only need you to sign some papers for me, I guess. Your brother somehow already knew about the case and the little girl and everything. And when I called, he informed me everything had been taken care of and was in order and just faxed these over. Said all he needs is your signature." The Inspector passed a small pile of papers over to Sherlock, who, trying not to wake the sleeping baby in his arms, managed to cradle her with one arm as he took the stack with his other hand.

The detective rolled his eyes as he saw a note stuck to the front of the stack that read: You owe me. MH

Sherlock chuckled to himself, shaking his head as he moved towards Lestrade's desk, placing the papers on the wood.

"Here you go," Greg said cheerfully, passing a pen over to the detective.

Almost shaking with anticipation, and keeping Carmen close to his chest, Sherlock signed everything Lestrade told him to, trying to conceal his excitement and nervousness. Just as he was about to sign the last sheet, there came a bustling from behind him. Brows pulled together in confusion, he turned around to see a very flustered-looking John barging into the office.

"Wait! No!" he sighed in exasperation. "I wanted to be here for it... Oh well. Umm... Congratulations!" he told Sherlock cheerfully, hurrying up to give him a friendly pat on the back. "Sorry I missed it," he whispered, giving both the detective and Greg a friendly smile. "Have you finished yet?"

"No, not yet. Just on the last page actually."

"Oh! Great! Well, I'll let you get to it, then." Grinning in excitement for his friend, the doctor backed away, smiling fondly as he saw little Carmen snuggled tightly against Sherlock's chest.

Chuckling at his former flat mate, the detective turned back to the last sheet of paper. With a deep breath, and an excited smile, he quickly scrawled his signature across the line.

"Congrats!" Lestrade called happily as Sherlock finished signing the last piece of paper, finalizing everything.

Trying to keep his usual composure, the detective flashed the Inspector a friendly smile, but was unable to contain his excitement as he saw John grinning at him. Practically laughing with excitement, Sherlock smiled widely at the doctor, running his hand up and down Carmen's tiny back.

He gazed down at the sleeping girl, a strange sense of happiness coursing through his veins as he realized that she was now his daughter. "Amazing," he chuckled, smiling lovingly at the little girl.

"I know," John whispered quietly, giving his friend a warm smile. "It is, isn't it?"

"Mmm," Sherlock hummed in reply, suddenly finding it hard to breath as he stared down at his daughter. The thought made him grin; made that fluttering feeling dance around his chest.

Seeing his friend's amazement, John gave Greg a quick smile before walking up to the detective. "Come on, then. Let's get you two home." He placed a gentle hand on Sherlock's shoulder, pulling the detective back to the present.

"Hmm? Oh. Yes, of course. Thank you, John." Finding everything around him was suddenly becoming hazy, Sherlock allowed himself to be led out of the office by John, who was chuckling at the dazed look on his friend's face.

"Thank you, Greg," he called back to the Inspector, who was putting the paperwork back in order.

"What? Oh, right! Not a problem," he chuckled, understanding that though John had said the apology, it was meant to be from Sherlock.

 

 

 

"You're sure you're going to be okay?" John asked hesitantly, standing in the sitting room of his old flat as he stared at Sherlock, who had yet to pull his gaze away from Carmen's sleeping form.

"Of course, John. I've already been taking care of her for a week, and so far I've managed to keep her alive," the detective answered sarcastically, shooting the doctor a dithering look. "Please."

John chuckled, shaking his head. "I wasn't talking about her. I was talking about you. You just seem a little... Off, that's all. But as long as you think you're okay?"

"Well of course I'm okay!" Sherlock replied matter-of-factly, looking confusedly at his friend. "Why on earth wouldn't I be?"

"No reason," John chuckled, throwing his hands up in mock surrender. "It was just a question, that's all. Not a big deal... Okay, then! Well, I suppose I'm going to be off, then. Mary's at home by herself with Hunter and she asked me to hurry back as soon as possible. So I'll see you two later then."

"Right, of course. Thank you, John," Sherlock said gratefully, smiling at his friend. "You've been a uhh... A big help. So thank you." The detective gave his friend a small smile as he absentmindedly bounced Carmen's sleeping form in his arms.

The doctor smiled back. "Of course," he whispered. "Remember," he added, turning over his shoulder to call back as he made his way down the stairs. "You can ring me anytime if you need something."

"Yes, yes, I know, John, thank you." There was the sound of the doctor's laughter, and the front door swinging shut before the flat was enveloped in silence, only the sound of Carmen's tiny breaths filling the room.

Suddenly, now that he was alone with the little girl, as he gazed down at her sleeping form, Sherlock felt a tremendous weight bear down on his chest as he came to the true realization that Carmen was now his daughter... This tiny human being was now his responsibility to look after and raise and care for and love.

Trying to find his breath, the detective quickly sat down on the couch, feeling as if his legs were going to fall out from under him.

"A daughter," he murmured quietly, managing to find his voice as he gazed down at the little girl. "Daughter..." That familiar fluttering spread across his chest and into his stomach as he tenderly brushed his fingertips across Carmen's forehead.

"I hope you like it here," he whispered, bending down to press an incredibly gentle kiss to the little girl's brow. "I know it's going to get crazy at times. And probably a bit unusual. But I hope you always know, and I hope that I'm always able to show you, that you will always have my love... Forever... It's very difficult to explain, feeling so much emotion towards you, even though we've barely known each other. But somehow, I just have this feeling that this is the right thing to do." Sherlock paused, smiling lovingly as Carmen shifted in his arms, one of her tiny hands clutching his shirt, the other resting against his own hand.

"I love you, Carmen," he whispered, staring with loving eyes at the little girl. "I love you... My daughter."


	7. Chapter 7

Sherlock was awoken by the sound of Carmen's crying.

"Carmen," he groaned, rolling over in the bed to face her cot. Opening his eyes, and trying to blink away his sleep, the detective heaved a sigh. "Okay, okay," he whispered, bending over the side of the cot to pull his daughter's tiny body out. She was wailing, her face red and scrunched together as she swung her tiny arms about, bumping against Sherlock's hands in the process.

It had been nearly a week since the detective had technically "adopted" Carmen, and since that night, he'd gotten little to no sleep, a mixture of cases and his daughter's cries forbidding him from getting rest.

Yawning widely, Sherlock pulled Carmen close to his chest, leaning back against the headrest and closing his eyes as he ran his fingertips across the back of her soft head. "What seems to be the problem?" he murmured, peering down at the screaming girl on his chest.

In response, Carmen paused, taking a moment to gaze up at Sherlock with watery eyes. She sniffled loudly, sticking her lip out as another tear slid down her cheek.

Every time Carmen cried, Sherlock couldn't help but feel a little pang of sadness and guilt twinge in his chest. Staring down at the little girl with sad eyes, the detective took notice of the way his daughter was gripping tightly onto his shirt with her tiny fists. "Carmen?" he whispered, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to her forehead. He frowned slightly upon feeling how warm she felt.

Thinking she was probably overheated from the babygrow she was wearing, Sherlock leaned forward, placing Carmen's tiny body on the bed. "Here we go," he murmured, gently unbuttoning the fabric. He quickly checked her nappy, but frowned once again when he noticed she was clean. So far, the source of the little girl's crying had always come from either a soiled nappy or hunger.

"Overreacting," Sherlock muttered, silently scolding himself. "You're probably just hungry, hmm?" he asked, pulling Carmen back into his arms.

Yawning once again, and gently bouncing his daughter in the crook of his arm, the detective left the bed, and slowly made his way into the kitchen, humming to himself as he walked.

Upon feeling her father's comforting embrace, Carmen seemed to calm down, relaxing into Sherlock's arms, a fistful of the detective's shirt still clutched tightly in her hand. She groaned quietly, squeezing her eyes shut in discomfort, her grip tightening.

"Hey," Sherlock whispered, stopping just as he entered the kitchen. Brows furrowed in worry, he glanced down at the little girl, placing a comforting hand to the back of her head. "It's all right," he reassured gently, bending down to press a tender kiss to the tip of her nose. "Shh..."

A small frown still on her face, Carmen opened her deep blue eyes, reaching her free hand up towards Sherlock, and splayed her tiny fingers across the detective's cheek. "Muu," she sighed, fingers curling against her father's skin.

"Hmm," Sherlock hummed in reply, keeping his head bent low towards Carmen's face. His raven hair brushed against her forehead as he smiled under her touch. "Better?"

Though he'd once been embarrassed by talking out loud to the little girl, the detective now found that he talked to her often, usually asking questions, though he knew she couldn't answer, and speaking to her about complications on cases.

"Come on then," he added, murmuring as he pressed another quick kiss to Carmen's cheek.

Keeping his daughter snuggled close to his chest, Sherlock glided around the kitchen, quickly making a bottle for the little girl. Knowing that he would probably be up with her for a little while longer, if not for the rest of the night, with bottle in hand, Sherlock sat down in his chair, settling into the welcoming cushions. Smiling down at the little girl in his arms, the detective gently moved Carmen to the crook of his arm, giving her the bottle of formula.

She fussed slightly, refusing to drink the milk, and tried to shove Sherlock's hand away with her own. "Come on now, Carmen," the detective murmured, trying once again.

Almost reluctantly, the little girl latched on and began to suck at the creamy formula.

"There you go," Sherlock whispered, brushing his thumb over the top of Carmen's smooth cheek as he held the bottle. He smiled lovingly as she reached up, wrapping her incredibly tiny fingers around his hand. The detective felt that familiar fluttering in his stomach as Carmen stared up at him with tired eyes, gripping onto his hand. He smiled down at his daughter, absentmindedly rocking back and forth with the little girl resting peacefully in his arms.

And, despite the tiredness he always seemed to feel, Sherlock rather enjoyed staying up into the late hours of the night and morning, gently rocking Carmen in his arms, which was quickly becoming becoming a nightly recurrence.

"You know," the detective whispered, tenderly brushing the tips of his fingers over the little girl's cheek. "I never imagined myself as a... Well as a father... However..." Sherlock paused as Carmen yawned widely, finished with the bottle and reached up, trying to grab ahold of her father. Smiling, the detective placed the bottle on the ground and stood up, resting Carmen's tiny form against his chest. "However," he continued, leaning down to place a tender kiss to the top of her head. "Now? I wouldn't trade it for the world," he whispered.

"Mmm," the little girl hummed contently, her eyes sliding shut as she shifted in the detective's arms. "Mah..." With a deep breath, she reached up, resting her hand just below Sherlock's jaw; her small fingernails gently scraped against the detective's skin.

Smiling at the sweet sensation, Sherlock wrapped his long fingers around Carmen's incredibly tiny hand and moved, pressing her fingers to his lips. He smiled against her palm as he pressed a gentle kiss to her hand. "Mmm... Thank you, Carmen," he murmured against her skin, gazing down at her sleepy form. He couldn't help but smile as Carmen tried to open her eyes, responding to the sound of his voice. "Goodnight, love," he whispered lovingly, gently pressing his daughter's tiny fingers to his lips once again.

 

 

It was the next day when, after having woken up several more times during the night, that Carmen seemed to notice her father's face for the first time.

The two were seated on the ground, Sherlock mulling over a particularly frustrating case as the little girl rested in his lap, leaning back against his stomach. She had started to chew happily on one of his fingers, listening with wide eyes as the detective murmured to himself, enjoying the sound of his deep, rumbling voice.

"The car... It has to be in the car... Yes... No. Ugh! Okay... He went there first... Picked her up... Killed her... Hmm... So it has to be the car!" Opening his eyes, Sherlock sighed, taking a deep breath and turned his attention down to the little girl resting in his lap. "Yes," he sighed dramatically, gently tickling her stomach as he tried to push away the thoughts of the case, wanting to focus more on his daughter. "The car!" The detective couldn't help but smile as Carmen started to giggle, pulling his hand out of her mouth to gaze up at him with cheerful eyes.

"Hello," he chuckled, bending down to press a soft kiss to her nose, which only caused her to giggle more.

"Mahh!" she giggled, reaching up to grab ahold of the detective's nose with her tiny hands.

"Ohh no!" Sherlock cried comically, bending his head closer to Carmen's face. "You've got me," he chuckled, blowing a gentle raspberry on her cheek. The detective grinned at the little girl, tenderly detaching her tiny fingers from his face and holding them safely in his hands. "Got you," he murmured, smiling affectionally at Carmen as he gently shook her hands back and forth.

"Mmm," she sighed, a sweet smile playing over her lips as she stared contently at Sherlock, wobbling slightly as she caught her breath. Sighing quietly, Carmen gazed into her father's eyes and, suddenly, the small smile slipped from her face as her tiny eyes moved back and forth over the detective's face.

"What is it?" Sherlock murmured quietly, taking notice of the change in his daughter's demeanor. "Hmm? What are you thinking about..." he pondered out loud, brushing his thumb over the little girl's stomach. A fond look on his face, the detective slowly stood up, moving Carmen onto his chest, keeping her tiny hands wrapped in his own.

Eyebrows pulling together in concentration, Carmen fell forward, pressing her fingers to Sherlock's face. She appeared to be studying his features, her mouth hanging open as her eyes grew wide with wonder. "Buu?" she seemed to be asking, staring into the detective's eyes as her hand gently rested against her father's sculpted cheek.

"What is it?" Sherlock murmured, trying to understand what Carmen was asking him. He tenderly pressed his fingertips over the little girl's hands.

"Mmm," Carmen replied, closing her hand as if she was trying to grab Sherlock's cheekbone. She bounced impatiently in the detective's arms, fussing slightly as she pulled her face together in a frown.

"What?" Sherlock repeated quietly, closing his fingers around his daughter's tiny hand.

As if she knew she was not going to be understood, Carmen sighed deeply, relaxing in her father's arms. A focused look returning to her face, she moved her other hand up to the detective's face, leaning back slightly in her father's arms.

"Ohh," Sherlock sighed gently, placing his hand on her back as she leaned in his arms. "There we go," he breathed, steadying her with his hand. The detective couldn't help but smile as he realized how small his daughter was; he noticed for the first time that his hand covered Carmen's entire back.

With a serious face, the little girl started to rub her tiny fingers up at down Sherlock's cheek, gently scraping against his skin. With wonder in her eyes, and a small smile turning up the corners of her lips, Carmen started to move her incredibly small hand over her father's face, taking in his features for the first time.

"Uhhhm," she hummed contently to herself, brushing her fingers over the detective's lips. She giggled quietly to herself as Sherlock smiled against her skin, pressing another tender kiss to her hand.

"Maah," she told him happily, gently tracing the curve of his lips with her tiny fingers. With an intent gaze, Carmen moved to his other cheek, gasping quietly as her hand fit perfectly in the hollow just under his cheekbone. With wide eyes, she stared up into Sherlock's grey ones, an almost questioning look on her face as she softly pushed her hand against the detective's skin.

Sherlock chuckled at the awe on his daughter's face, running his fingers up and down her back.

"I know," he murmured, giving her a loving, reassuring smile.

With a small sigh, Carmen smiled at her father and reached further up, trying to touch his eyes. When her arm was not long enough, however, she frowned, whining unhappily in his arms.

"It's okay," Sherlock chuckled, gently patting her on the bottom. "I've got it." Trying to soothe the little girl, Sherlock slowly rubbed tiny circles up and down her back, and moved to the couch, stretching out over it as he placed Carmen on his chest. "There you go," he murmured, scooting the little girl's small form closer to his face. With careful hands, the detective gently guided his daughter's hand until it was near his eye, helping her to continue with her previous task.

Upon realizing she now had access to her father's eyes, as she had wanted before, Carmen grinned happily, haphazardly clapping her hands together in happiness. "Ahh!" she squealed, eagerly pressing the palms of her hands over Sherlock's eyes as she giggled.

"Okay, okay," the detective chuckled, squinting his eyes shut as Carmen pressed her fingers over one of them. "Here." Smiling and blinking quickly as the little girl was now practically sitting on his face, Sherlock reached up, moving one of her tiny hands to his cheek, gently flattening the palm of her other hand against his closed eye.

"Mmm." Smiling contently, Carmen resumed what she was doing, and, with concentrated eyes, started to rub her small finger over Sherlock's eyelid. The smile slowly fading from her lips as her mouth fell open in awe, the little girl stared intently at her father's face, tracing her fingers over his eyebrow. "Ahh..." With a delicate touch, Carmen gently tapped Sherlock's eyelid.

Smiling to himself, the detective slowly opened his eyes and found himself staring into his daughter's incredible blue irises. "Hello," he murmured gently, smiling lovingly at the little girl's sweet face. Mimicking his daughter, Sherlock slowly reached up with one hand, brushing his thumb over Carmen's light eyebrow.

Smiling contently, the little girl closed her eyes, leaning into her father's gentle touch.

Eyebrows pulling together as he stared intently at his daughter's peaceful face, Sherlock tenderly whispered, "I love you, Carmen." He leaned up, pressing a soft kiss to her chubby cheek.

From then on, Sherlock couldn't help but smile every time he noticed how Carmen's eyes would light up when she saw his face, recognizing him and the features she had so thoroughly examined.

 

 

Over the next few months, Sherlock had managed to get both him and Carmen into a sort of routine. The little girl had finally started to sleep through the night, and was now resting less and less during the day, giving the detective much-deserved peace and rest at night.

Though he'd never expected to feel such an attachment to the little girl, Sherlock found he felt an overwhelming sense of love for his daughter, unable to imagine life without her.

Carmen was growing steadily, her impossibly dark blue eyes seeming to grow even darker, and a small amount of light brown hair growing in curls on her head. Though she had grown some, it was clear to Sherlock that the little girl was going to be a smaller individual... And, though he would never admit it, the detective found he didn't mind, secretly glad to be able to cuddle her small form close...

 

 

"Come on... Yes! That's it! You're so close, Carmen!" Sherlock praised excitedly, a wide grin on his face. The detective was lying on his belly in the sitting room, arms outstretched in front of him as he smiled at Carmen, who had just started to crawl for the first time. "That's it," Sherlock murmured, smiling wistfully at his daughter. "Here, Carmen," he added, cooing gently at the little girl.

"Mmm-baa," she hummed determinedly, face scrunched together in concentration as she tried to reach her father, crawling slowly across the floor. She looked up, head wobbling slightly as she stared at Sherlock. Upon seeing how far away the detective still appeared to be, Carmen frowned, and she stopped her efforts, face scruncing up as she started to cry, stretching her tiny body towards her father.

"Carmen," Sherlock chuckled, giving a tiny shake of his head. He smiled sadly at the little girl and silently scooted forward, putting himself closer to Carmen's body as she tried to crawl her way to him. "Hey," he whispered, trying to get his daughter's attention and stop her crying. "Can you look here, hmm? Look at Daddy for me, okay?" he cooed gently, stretching his arms towards her once again.

"Hmm?" the little girl sniffled, lifting her head from where she had placed it on the ground. Once she saw how much closer her father appeared to be, Carmen's eyes lit up and a large grin graced her lips. That same determination in her deep blue eyes, the little girl started to push herself forward, slowly crawling towards Sherlock.

"Yes! Oh, very good, Carmen!" the detective cheered, grinning as the little girl moved closer and closer. "You can do it, love!"

Grinning widely at her father's encouraging words, Carmen grunted quietly as she determinedly moved herself forward, desperately trying to reach the detective's outstretched arms.

"That's it... Yes! Just a little... Bit... More... Yes, you did it!" Sherlock cried as Carmen crawled into his outstretched arms, a triumphant grin on her face. Unable to contain his happiness, the detective quickly scooped his daughter into his arms and stood up, pressing quick kisses to her cheeks and hair as he danced around the room, feeling incredibly proud of his daughter's first big milestone.

"Oohh," he sighed, collapsing onto the couch and pulling Carmen into a tight hug. "I'm so proud of you, Carmen," he murmured, pressing a long, tender kiss to the little girl's brow. "You're growing up... Hmm... You did so well."

"Mmm..." Carmen sighed contently, settling into her father's comforting embrace. Taking a deep breath, the little girl pressed her face into the detective's shoulder, smiling happily at her achievement.

"I love you," Sherlock murmured, pressing a gentle hand to the back of his daughter's head. He bent down, smiling as he felt the little girl nuzzle against his skin, and placed another loving kiss to her head. "So very proud of you..." With a bittersweet sadness constricting his chest, Sherlock turned his head, letting his cheek rest against the top of Carmen's soft curls. He took a deep breath, reveling in the sweet baby smell that still clung to her skin.

Smiling fondly at the little girl, Sherlock pulled back, gazing down at his daughter. He felt that familiar fluttering brush across his chest as he saw the perfectly content smile on Carmen's sweet face, her eyes closed as she breathed steadily, a tiny fistful of his shirt clutched in her hand.

A tender look in his eyes, the detective watched the little girl as she rested, smiling even more as she shifted, snuggling into his comforting touch. "You're so precious," he murmured, running a quick hand up and down her back.

"Mmm-hmm," Carmen hummed, giving a small nod of agreement.

Sherlock chuckled, gazing fondly at his daughter. "You agree, hmm? Good." Smiling, and keeping Carmen's form snuggled tightly against his chest, the detective slowly stood up. "Well!" he declared, gently bouncing the little girl in his arms. "I say we celebrate, hmm? Ice cream?"

In response, Carmen grinned, showcasing the few teeth she had. Giggling happily, the little girl bounced up and down in her father's arms, gripping tightly onto his shirt as she laughed.

"My thoughts exactly," Sherlock chuckled, pressing another quick kiss to Carmen's head.

 

 

Carmen started to grow up quickly, and it wasn't long before she was finally starting to voice her thoughts and opinions.

Sherlock was lying asleep in bed, the little girl wrapped in his arms as the two rested peacefully. At some point during the morning , though, Carmen had woken up, unsettled by the storm happening outside. Whimpering quietly as a flash of lightning lit the room, accentuating all of shadows, the little girl shifted in her father's arms, sniffling to herself as she tried to nuzzle deeper into his chest.

"Hmm?" the detective mumbled, awoken by the sound of his daughter's whimpering. "Carmen?" he asked worriedly, instantly alert and afraid that something had happened to the little girl. "What's wrong, has something happened?"

"No Da'y," the little girl whimpered quietly.

"Well then why are you—" Sherlock froze upon realizing Carmen had just said "Daddy" for the first time. "Carmen!" he breathed excitedly, suddenly finding it was hard to catch his breath. "You just said 'Daddy!'"

Storm now completely forgotten, Carmen grinned happily and reached up, throwing her chubby arms around Sherlock's neck. "Da'y!" she cried again, smiling against the detective's skin. "Hmm... Da'y," she sighed contently, closing her eyes as she rested her head against her father's neck.

"Ohh," Sherlock sighed, a strange stinging sensation burning in his eyes as he heard his daughter's true voice for the first time. This was the first word she'd actually said that was more than just mumbling or tiny groans and whining noises. He felt a strange sense of love swell in his chest upon hearing how tiny, soft, and beautiful Carmen's tender voice sounded. The detective barely noticed as a single, large tear slid down his cheek, landing silently on the bed.

"Da'y?" came the little girl's small voice against his skin. A sob of happiness escaping his lips, Sherlock pressed Carmen's tiny body even closer to him, wrapping his arms around her as he sniffled.

"Da'y owie?" Carmen asked worriedly, trying to squirm her way out of the detective's grasp, wanting to see what the cause of her father's distress was.

"No," Sherlock half chuckled, half sobbed. "I don't have an owie. I'm just very, very happy and proud, that's all," he whispered, quickly wiping away his tears and trying to regain his composure. Upon seeing how unconvinced the little girl looked, Sherlock chuckled, gently brushing some of her silky hair away from her forehead. "I just love you... Very much," he murmured, letting his hand rest on the side of her head.

"Mmm... Oh, Da'y," Carmen sighed in understanding, closing her eyes as she leaned into the detective's touch.

Sherlock smiled at his daughter, slowly brushing his thumb over the top of her cheek. "Well," he sighed, sitting up and pulling Carmen's small form into his lap. "I don't think either of us will be going back to sleep, even though it is early," he chuckled. "So I suggest we do something as way of celebration. What would you like?"

Carmen thought for a moment, pulling her brows together as she leaned forward, resting her head against Sherlock's shoulder as she pondered. Unable to put her thoughts into words, the little girl leaned back again, giggling as she ran her hands through her soft curls.

"Of course," Sherlock chuckled, pulling the little girl into a tight hug. "A bath sounds lovely," he murmured, standing up and making his way into the bathroom.

Listening as his daughter started to babble happily to herself, the detective quickly turned on the tub, making sure the water wasn't too warm, and then gathered up all of Carmen's favorite bath toys.

"All right," he sighed dramatically, placing her tiny form on the changing table. "Here we go." Chuckling at the little girl's happiness, Sherlock quickly unbuttoned Carmen's light pink babygrow, tossing it aside, and then gently tugged off her nappy.

"Ready?" he asked cheerfully, gently bouncing her in his arms.

Grinning, Carmen gave a firm nod of her head, clutching a fistful of the detective's shirt in her tiny hand. "Da'y," she said contently, pointing at the tub.

"Okay okay," Sherlock chuckled, grabbing a towel before hurrying over to the tub. "There we go." Smiling at his daughter's joy, the detective slowly lowered Carmen into the tub.

Keeping a hand wrapped firmly around Carmen's middle, Sherlock reached behind him, grabbing the shampoo from the counter. "Ready?" he asked gently, a tiny squirt of soap resting in the middle of his hand.

Grinning happily at her father, Carmen gave a tiny nod of her head. "Da'y," she giggled happily. With the help of Sherlock, the little girl stood up on he wobbly legs, holding on to the side of the tub as she waited.

Smiling fondly at his daughter, Sherlock moved forward gently placing his hand on Carmen's tiny head. Chuckling to himself as he saw the little girl squeeze her eyes shut in preparation, the detective slowly moved his fingertips through Carmen's silky hair, running the small amount of soap over her curls. "Would you like to help?" he murmured, gazing fondly at the little girl.

"Mmm-hmm," she hummed happily, reaching down to grab ahold of the hand her father had wrapped around her middle before holding her other chubby hand in front of her.

"Right," Sherlock chuckled, wrapping his fingers around Carmen's tiny hand. Humming happily to himself, the detective slowly moved the little girl's fingers to her own head, guiding her to run her hand through her silky curls. "Very good job, Carmen," he praised, giving her a warm smile.

"Mmm... M-hmm," the little girl agreed, giggling at her father.

 

 

Nearly fifteen minutes later, after Carmen had decided she'd had enough of playing in the water. "Da'y?" she asked quietly, attempting to pull herself up and out of the tub.

"Are you done?" Sherlock murmured, reaching over to help the little girl stand up.

"Mmm-hmm." Smiling, and with her father's hand wrapped safely around her middle, Carmen giggled, reaching her hands up towards the detective.

Grinning lovingly at his daughter, Sherlock stood up, grabbing the towel, and gently pulled her tiny form out of the water, wrapping her in the soft fabric.

"Mmm," Carmen sighed, resting her head against the detective's shoulder as she snuggled into the warmth of the towel. "Da'y," she whispered, gazing up at her father with content eyes.

"Right here," Sherlock murmured, gently pulling the little girl closer as he made his way out of the bathroom.

 

 

 

Several minutes later, after having successfully dried off and dressed Carmen, Sherlock found himself curled up on the couch with the little girl resting peacefully in his lap as they watched her favorite television show, "Thomas the Tank Engine." The detective often found, though, that he would end up watching his daughter's facial expressions, rather than the show itself, enjoying being able to observe the moments where she would smile, and giggle and laugh.

Sherlock couldn't help but smile, himself, when he saw the little girl's face light up as she smiled at the screen, the grip she had around one of his fingers tightening ever so slightly. Using his free hand, the detective slowly rubbed his finger up and down over Carmen's chubby arm, pulling her closer to his middle.

The detective's thoughts were interrupted, though by the sound of the doorbell ringing. Thinking it was a new client, Sherlock frowned, glaring down the stairwell. "Come on, Carmen," he groaned, rolling his eyes as the bell sounded once again.

"Hmm?" the little girl asked unhappily as she was lifted into her father's arms and pulled away from the show.

"Client," Sherlock answered, giving her a comical eye roll.

Moving the little girl to his hip, the detective slowly made his way down the stairs, holding Carmen's small form close to his side.

The little girl started to talk enthusiastically to Sherlock, playing absentmindedly with the collar of his dark purple shirt as they made their way down the stairs.

"Yes?" he asked, when it was clear Carmen had just asked him a question. He chuckled as he reached the front door when the little girl nodded back enthusiastically, continuing to babble.

Smiling lovingly at his daughter, and pulling her small form closer, Sherlock opened the door, turning his attention to the client.

The smell of alcohol momentarily stunned the detective as he swung the door entirely open. Instantly tense, Sherlock pulled Carmen's small body closer, feeling a strange sense of protection surge in his chest. Mouth turned down into a deep scowl, he closed the door, angling his body back to shield his daughter from the view of the man standing on the doorstep, dripping with the rain from outside, as well as the smell of alcohol..

"May I help you?" he asked, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible and trying not to gag with the bitter smell of alcohol assaulting his senses. His eyes quickly raked over the filthy man, scowling in disdain at the deductions crashing together in his mind. His eyes quickly darted to the right, glancing at Carmen, who had clearly sensed the change of mood, and was gripping tightly to his shirt, tense in his arms. Wanting to reassure his daughter, the detective gently patted her on the bottom, giving her a quick smile out of the corner of his lips. Clutching her close to his side, Sherlock turned his attention back to the man, bracing himself as it was clear he was about to say something.

"Yes'sir," came the slurred response of the man as he gazed at Sherlock with bloodshot eyes. "I came... To get... My daughter back."


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Okay, so I've been having a lot of MAJOR writer's block with this one, which I understand is completely unfair to you, so I'm just truly sorry! I have already started on the next chapter, so that will NOT take as long, promise! Thanks to all who are still with me!

"Yes'sir," came the slurred response of the man as he gazed at Sherlock with bloodshot eyes. "I came... To get... My daughter back."

Sherlock couldn't breath. His blood seemed to freeze in his veins. "No," he managed, an unbearable weight seeming to crush down on his entire body. Chest heaving with frightened breaths, the detective quickly slammed the door shut in the man's face, sliding the lock into place.

"Da'y?" Carmen cried worriedly, feeling the sudden change of her father's mood. Her own fear taking over, the little girl scrambled in Sherlock's arms, desperately trying to grab ahold of him, to press her small form as close to him as she could be.

"No!" the detective cried again, turning on his heel. Carmen's cries echoed in his ears as he ran up the stairs, clutching her tiny body close as one thought kept flashing in his mind... They never found the father.

Mind racing with possibilities and his heart pounding painfully in his chest, Sherlock hurried into his room, shutting and locking the door behind him. He ran over to the bed, simultaneously holding Carmen close and pulling out his phone. A strange pounding in his head, the detective quickly pressed a button and held the phone to his ear. It rang just once before—

"Are you all right?"

"Mycroft," Sherlock sighed in relief, body slumping as he took a deep breath. "Do you have him?"

"Almost. We're almost there. Is he armed?"

"I—I don't know—he—I can't—"

"Sherlock, shh, just breath," Mycroft soothed calmly.

"Yes. Just..."

"I'm here. Don't worry. Get yourself together. I'll contact Greg Lestrade and Joh—"

"No, no... I uhh... I'll call John, just... Take him away," Sherlock practically sobbed, pulling Carmen even closer to his chest.

"Very good... Okay, we... We just got here. I see him... We have him, Sherlock. Don't worry. I'll start sorting this out," Mycroft said quietly, hoping to ease some of his brother's worry.

"Yes," Sherlock murmured distractedly, noticing for the first time that Carmen's tiny hands were clutching onto his shirt. "Listen, Mycroft, I need to—"

"Yes, I know. Go."

Not even bothering to hang up, as, for the first time, he became acutely aware of Carmen's body shaking in his arms, Sherlock tossed the phone away, realizing that in this moment, he needed to be a father, not a detective.

"Da'y!" the little girl sobbed as she pressed her small form as close to Sherlock's body as she could.

The detective felt his heart constrict painfully in his chest as he stared down at his terrified daughter. "Carmen," he managed, voice breaking with the emotions of guilt and utter sadness. "I'm so sorry." Closing his eyes, Sherlock bent down and wrapped his arms around the little girl's tiny body, clutching her close. "Shh," he whispered, hoping to soothe her. Feeling his own hot tears burning in the back of his eyes, the detective curled his body forward, hoping to envelope Carmen in a warm, comforting embrace. "Shh, Carmen love, it's okay... I'm right here. Please don't cry. I've got you and I promise I will not let you go. Please, sweetheart... Shh I'm here, I'm here..."

"Daa," the small girl moaned, voice muffled as she spoke into the fabric of Sherlock's shirt. The detective could feel her tears start to soak through his shirt, staining the dark fabric.

"Carmen," he whispered sadly, placing a gentle hand to the back of her tiny head as he began to rock back and forth. "I know... I know... I'm here. I promise. I'm just here... Shh, it's all right, love. I am not going to let him take you. All right? Shh..." Taking a deep breath, Sherlock bent down, resting his cheek to the top of Carmen's head. "Shh... It's okay, Carmen. I've got you... I've got you," he murmured, tenderly running his fingertips over his daughter's soft hair.

"Da'y," Carmen sniffled, her grip tightening on Sherlock's shirt.

"I know. I know, love." With sad eyes, the detective turned his head, frowning when he felt the little girl tense in his arms, and pressed a gentle kiss to her head. "I'm right here... Shh... Carmen? Can you look at me, love?" he asked softly, cradling her head in his palm as he leaned back, urging his daughter to look at him.

Tiny sobs still wracking her body and with tears still streaking down her face, Carmen hesitantly pulled away from Sherlock's shirt, though her tiny fists still grasped onto his shirt. "Da'y," she moaned sadly, voice barely a whisper as a few more tears slid free.

As Sherlock gazed down at his daughter and saw for the first time her tear-stained cheeks, and red, puffy eyes, he felt his heart all but break in his chest as a thought flashed through his mind: I did this. "Carmen," he whispered sadly, running a thumb over her cheek. "I'm so sorry, Carmen… Come here, love."

Sniffling and with a few more tears sliding down her chubby cheeks, Carmen quickly leaned forward, pressing her tiny form into Sherlock's welcoming arms. "Daa," she whispered quietly, scrambling upward in an attempt to wrap her arms around the detective's neck.

Running a comforting hand up and down her back, Sherlock stood up off the bed and shifted Carmen's tiny body upward, hugger her close to his chest. "There we are," he murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to the little girl's temple. "Shh... Please don't cry, love. I'm right here... It's all right now."

"Mmm," Carmen sighed, almost in relief at the soft reassurance from her father. "Da'y," she whispered sadly, nuzzling against the detective's neck as she took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself. One of her chubby hands wrapped around Sherlock's collar as she closed her eyes, leaning into his touch.

"Shh... Yes," the detective murmured, slowly swaying back and forth as he ran soothing fingertips over Carmen's back. "Shh..." Sherlock frowned, feeling a new set of tears well in his eyes as he felt his daughter's quick, frightened breaths, and heard her moan softly with each one, still clearly terrified by the ordeal. "Shh," he soothed again, letting his hand pause on her back as he pressed her closer. "I've got you, sweetheart... Please... It's all right, I promise. He's gone."

"Mmm Da'y," Carmen sighed, body relaxing ever so slightly at her father's promise. "Da'y?"

"Yes, Carmen?" Sherlock whispered, turning his head to gaze down at the little girl.

With another deep breath, Carmen opened her eyes and stared up at the detective, a small frown pulling down both the corners of her eyes and lips. "Bad, Da'y?" she whispered, tiny grip tightening around the detective's collar.

"Carmen," Sherlock all-but-sobbed, saddened by how much his daughter had understood. A deep frown forming on his face, the detective bent down, tucking the tiny girl's head under his chin. "Yes," he murmured against her skin, pressing soft kisses to her silky hair. "Yes, it's a bit bad, Carmen..."

"...Oh..." Carmen sniffled, nuzzling against Sherlock's skin. "Da'y mix?"

Managing a small smile, the detective leaned backward and placed a tender hand to the back of his daughter's head, guiding her to look at him.

Still sniffling, the little girl pulled back, though her grip on Sherlock's shirt did not loosen. With watery eyes, she stared up at the detective, waiting expectantly.

"Carmen," Sherlock whispered gently, cradling her small head in the palm of his hand. "Yes," he promised, running his thumb over her cheek and wiping away a few stray tears. "I'll fix this, love... I promise. Nothing's going to happen, sweetheart... It's all right... Okay? Shh... It's okay."

"Mmm... Okay, Da'y," the little girl whispered quietly, closing her eyes as she leaned into the detective's comforting touch.

"Very good," Sherlock whispered, leaning forward to press his lips to Carmen's forehead in a gentle kiss.

"Hmm... Da'y," the little girl hummed, suddenly exhausted from all of the crying and excitement.

"You're probably tired, aren't you?" the detective murmured, gently pulling Carmen back close to his chest. "Shh... You can sleep now, sweetheart. Shh..." Hoping to somehow soothe the little girl, Sherlock started to rub soothing circles up and down his daughter's back, swaying back and forth. Saddened by his daughter's understanding, and suddenly feeling as if his legs might not support him for much longer, the detective quickly slid into bed, settling Carmen against his chest. A sorrowful frown pulled down the corners of his lips as he noticed how the little girl's breath quickened at the movement; noticed how her grip on his shirt tightened ever so slightly.

"I'm right here, Carmen," he whispered, placing a comforting hand on her tiny back.

"Mmm," the little girl moaned softly, eyes fluttering open. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes once again, snuggling further into her father's chest. "Da'y…"

"I'm just here," the detective murmured, bending down to press a tender kiss to the top of Carmen's head. "You're safe…" Smiling as he noticed the little girl's breathing was evening out and that the grip on his shirt had loosened, Sherlock quickly pulled out his phone using his free hand and dialed John's number. The doctor answered almost immediately.

"Sherlock! What the hell is happening? I just got to the flat, and there's police cars everywhere—I think your brother is even floating around somewhere—just—what's going on?"

"You're outside?"

A pause.

"Yes, Sherlock!" the doctor huffed, clearly exasperated. "I'm outside, now—please, just—tell me what's happening!"

"There was a man who showed up outside the door... He... He claims..." Sherlock had to stop, unable to help the intense pain of fear he felt shooting through his veins at the thought. "He claims to be Carmen's biological father. Mycroft saw him approaching on the CCTV, immediately sent his people to detain him, and I'm sure somewhere along the way managed to call Lestrade, who then sent as many of his people as he could which accounts for—"

"But I thought they never found her biological father," John interrupted.

"Did you not hear a word of what I just said?"

"What? No. Yes, no I did, Sherlock! I mean I was just—"

"Just come up, John. It'll be easier to explain in person."

"Already on the stairs."

Both flat mates hung up at the same time, the lines going dead with a gentle click.

Careful not to wake her, Sherlock slowly rolled onto his side, keeping a protective hand on Carmen's back as he made to lay her on the bed. He paused, however, immediately pulling her back to his chest as he heard the little girl cry out in her sleep.

"Shh, it's okay, Carmen," he murmured quickly, running a soothing hand up and down her tiny back.

"Sherlock? Sherlock?" came John's muffled voice. Hoping Carmen would not wake, Sherlock quickly opened his door and exited, moving into the sitting room.

"Shh!" he shushed, gesturing to the sleeping child in his arms.

"Oh! Sorry," the doctor whispered. "Care to tell me what's happened?"

"Her father came here. Biological father... So he claims," Sherlock murmured, brows pulled together and eyes serious as he gazed at his friend.

"What?" John gasped, eyes quickly falling to Carmen. He took note of the way the little girl was clinging to the detective's shirt, even as she slept. "Where is he now?"

"Mycroft said he's taken him into custody... But I, uhh... Don't know much at this point."

"Sherlock... Look at me... It's going to be all right. Okay? Even if he is her biological father, there's no way he'll get custody. I mean, Carmen is legally yours now. No court will give him custody, alright?"

"Yes," Sherlock murmured sadly, absentmindedly pressing Carmen's tiny body closer and placing a protective, yet shaking hand to the back of her head.

"Would you like me to stay with you two?" John asked gently, eyes softening as he saw how clearly shaken by the whole thing Sherlock was.

Taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself, and gently swaying back and forth, the detective managed a small and gave a quick nod of his head. "Thank you," he murmured.

"Of course."

 

 

 

Several hours later, Sherlock was resting on the couch, Carmen sleeping soundly on his chest, her tiny head snuggled closely against his neck, with a little fistful of the detective's shirt clutched between her fingers. With a tiny intake of breath, her whole body tensed against her father's, and her fist tightened around the fabric in her hand.

"Shh," Sherlock murmured softly, placing a gentle hand on his daughter's tiny back. "It's alright, love. Shh."

Face scrunching together in fear, Carmen curled her body inward, moaning out a quiet, "Da'y."

Feeling a strong pain of sadness and guilt flash through his veins, and clutching the small girl close, Sherlock quickly stood up and hurried into his room, not wanting to wake John who was napping in his chair in the sitting room.

"Sweetheart," he soothed softly, gently swaying back and forth as he cuddled her small form close. "I'm right here, love. You're alright."

Upon hearing her father's calming voice, Carmen calmed down, quickly returning to sleep as she sighed, head lolling to the side so it was resting against Sherlock's collarbone.

Smiling sadly, but glad his daughter's fright had passed, the detective pressed an incredibly tender kiss to Carmen's head, and leaned down, allowing his cheek to gently rest against the top of the small girl's head. "I've got you," he whispered.

Realizing how emotionally exhausted he truly was, and not wanting to wake Carmen, Sherlock turned and carefully collapsed onto the bed, holding the little girl close to his chest.

"Sleep well, love," he murmured, curling his form protectively around her incredibly tiny body and wrapping his arms around her back, pressing her close. "I've got you."

 

 

 

Sherlock was awoken by the incredibly annoying sound of his phone going off. Groaning loudly and mumbling to himself, the detective hastily pulled out his mobile and pressed it to his ear, hoping the shrill ringing had not woken Carmen. "What?" he spat into the phone, placing a tender hand to the back of his daughter's tiny head.

"Sherlock?"

"What, Lestrade?"

"Look, I know it's late, but I need you to come down to Bart's. We need to get a swab from Carmen to… You know, see if DNA matches our mystery man here."

"Oh." Suddenly sobering as he was forced back into the cruel reality of the situation, Sherlock gave a feeble nod of his head. "Fine. Yes. We'll uhh… Be right over."

"Good. I'm sorry, Sherlock… Don't worry. We'll sort this out, all right?"

"Mmm. Yes." Ending the call, Sherlock tucked his phone into his pocket and rolled onto his side, keeping Carmen on his chest, and then slid off the bed. Refusing to let the little girl leave his side, the detective moved to the closet and pulled out Carmen's diaper bag. "Shh," he whispered as the little girl shifted unhappily in his arms. Reluctantly and with a loving kiss to the top of her head, Sherlock set Carmen on the bed and quickly flew about the room, gathering nappies and clothes. Slinging the bag over his shoulder, the detective hurriedly turned back to the bed and scooped his daughter back up, cradling her to his chest.

"John?" he called quietly as he exited his bedroom and entered the kitchen, gathering up items for a bottle and several snack fruits, tucking them into the bag. "John, are you—" Sherlock paused as he entered the living room to find the doctor sound asleep in his chair, snoring softly. Deciding not to wake his friend, and lips quirking up into a fond smile, the detective turned and found his coat. Maneuvering his coat on and managing to not wake Carmen, Sherlock picked up the bag he had placed on the floor and swung it over his shoulder. "Come on love," he murmured, tucking his daughter's sleeping from into his coat, as it was quite cold outside and he didn't want to wake Carmen up by trying to slip her coat on. "Be back," he called quietly to John, too caught up in his thoughts to really notice or care that the doctor was still sleeping.

"All right." Treading carefully so as not to wake Carmen, Sherlock hurried down the stairs and exited the flat, hailing a cab with his free hand as he tucked the little girl's head under his chin, shielding her from the bitterly cold wind.

"Mmm," Carmen hummed unhappily, squirming in Sherlock's arms as he entered a cab and sat down.

"Hey, sweetheart," he murmured tenderly, leaning back in the seat and placing a hand on her back to steady her. "Sorry I woke you."

"Mmm," she groaned, tiny voice sounding light an airy as she stretched her arms blindly for her father. "Dah."

"I'm here, love. Shh… We just have to go to the hospital, all right? I'm here. Shh… Why don't you try and go back to sleep, hmm?"

"Dah," Carmen sniffled, falling forward and nuzzling sadly against Sherlock's chest. "Ahh," she cried, scrunching her face together as she started to cry.

"Shh, love, it's all right. I'm right here," Sherlock whispered sadly, wrapping his coat around his daughter's small body. "It'll be all right. I know you're tired. I'm so sorry, sweetheart."

Hearing her father's soothing voice, Carmen sniffled and pulled away from her father's chest, clutching some of the detective's shirt between her little hands. "Dah…"

"I know. I know. But listen to me, it'll be okay. I'm going to keep you safe, all right?"

A sniffle and then a tiny nod. "Good girl. We'll be there soon." Hoping to comfort his daughter in some way, Sherlock began to gently rock back and forth, stroking his fingers up and down Carmen's tiny head.

The cab eventually arrived at Saint Barts, and the cabbie ended up paying for the ride, seeing how upset both father and daughter seemed to be.

Sherlock cradled Carmen's small form close as hurried through the hallways, eventually finding Lestrade and Molly in the lab.

"Ah. You made it," Lestrade sighed, placing his hands on his hips as he gazed sadly at Carmen's clearly disgruntled form. The little girl was clinging to the detective with both of her tiny fists, pressing herself as close to his chest as she possibly could. Her little head was tucked carefully under his chin, her beautiful blue eyes wide and teary with fear.

"How is she?"

"Terrified," Sherlock breathed, trying to manage a small smile for Molly, who was gazing sadly at Carmen. "She doesn't understand; just knows something is wrong."

"Poor thing. We'll be fast so you can take her home."

"Thank you." Gently shushing his daughter and whispering soothing words down to her, the detective slowly moved towards Molly and made to place her on one of the counters. Almost immediately, Carmen tensed in his arms, and let out a terrified, "Da'y! No! No!"

Screaming and crying as she clutched her little fingers around the detective's shirt, Carmen began to sob, crying over and over again, "No, Day! No!"

Nearly crying himself with the feeling of guilt that washed over him, resting painfully in his chest, Sherlock forced himself to walk over to the counter. "Molly?" he nearly choked out. "May I… Can I just sit with her? Please?"

"Oh, of course, Sherlock!" the pathologist cried, giving him a reassuring smile. She gently patted the counter, silently urging him to hop up.

"Carmen, love? I'm going to sit with you, all right? I promise I'm not leaving… Shh, it's okay," he murmured, running a soothing hand up and down his daughter's tiny back.

Sniffling madly, and her tiny body shaking with fear and sobs, Carmen snuggled further against her father's chest, whimpering as she stared warily at the counter.

"I promise. You'll be all right. I'm going to stay with you the entire time." Moving slowly and turning his daughter's head into his chest, Sherlock carefully crawled onto the counter. "See? That's all."

Snuffling into the detective's neck, Carmen turned away and visibly calmed in her father's arms. "Hmm," she hummed, voice still sounding wary as she gazed at Molly.

"Hello, love," she murmured, giving Carmen a warm grin. "You doing all right?" A tiny nod. "Good." Reaching into her pocket, Molly pulled out several swabs. "All right. I just need you to open your mouth for me, sweetheart, all right? Can you do that for me."

With a tiny sniffle, the little girl turned to Sherlock, looking for reassurance.

"It's all right, love," the detective encouraged gently. "Nothing is going to happen. And I'll be right here with you the entire time."

"Dah," Carmen sighed, giving a tiny nod of her head. Eyes still full with tears that were threatening to spill over at any moment, the tiny curl turned in her father's lap, giving Molly a tearful glance.

"Very good, Carmen," the pathologist encouraged. "Now, I need you to do this for me, all right?" Hoping Carmen would imitate her, Molly opened her mouth wide and stuck out her tongue. She couldn't help but laugh at the look Carmen gave her, which clearly said, Really? You want me to do that?

Chuckling down at his daughter in spite of himself, Sherlock wrapped a protective hand around her middle and gave an encouraging nod. "Yes," he murmured, quickly following suit and opening his mouth wide as he stuck out his tongue. "Just like that."

Concluding that if her father was doing it, it must be correct, Carmen imitated the two of them and hesitantly opened her mouth to stick out her tongue.

"Excellent, Carmen," Sherlock praised lovingly, giving his daughter a warm smile of encouragement.

"Okay, here we go. Ready?" Not really waiting for a response, Molly quickly dove both swabs into Carmen's tiny mouth, scraping them against the side of her cheeks as fast as she could before pulling them back out again.

"Ah!" the little girl gagged, shying away from Molly and pressing back against Sherlock's stomach and chest.

"Shh," he soothed, quickly hopping off the counter and cuddling Carmen's small form close. "You did excellent, Carmen! That was very brave. I'm so proud of you, love… That was a very good job."

"Mmm," the tiny girl hummed, snuggling into her father's touch. "Da'y," she sighed contently, glad for the praise and physical comfort.

"Yes… Good job, love. I assume we're free to go?" Sherlock asked softly, glancing between Molly and Lestrade.

"Of course," the Inspector murmured, smiling at the tender moment between father and daughter.

"Good. Thank you." Finding the diaper bag, Sherlock shared a quick smile between Molly and Lestrade and then hurried out the door and through the hospital into the brisk night.

"Come on, love," he whispered, tucking Carmen's small body into the coat as he stepped into a cab. "Let's go home."

With a tiny sigh, wrapped carefully in her father's safe embrace, the tiny girl's eyes slid closed. She reached up in an attempt to touch Sherlock's face. Her little hand went limp, however, as she fell asleep and fell down into the detective's shirt. Snuggling closer and pressing her face in to the comforting folds of his coat, Carmen's fingeres curled, and grabbed the fabric from the opposite side, the back of her smooth hand brushing against his bare chest.

Sherlock couldn't help but smile at the feel of Carmen's little hand against his skin, finding the movement and touch to be oddly comforting... Grounding. "That's it," he whispered, cradling her head against him. "We'll be all right. I've got you."


	9. Chapter 9

Carmen slept the entire cab ride home snuggled safely inside the folds of her father's coat. When the taxi rolled up outside of 221B, Sherlock carefully paid the cabbie and slipped into the silent flat. The detective sighed in relief upon seeing that John had not woken up and was still sleeping soundly. "All right," he murmured to himself, managing to slip off his coat without waking Carmen. "Let's go to bed, hmm? Big day for all of us," he added sadly, pressing his cheek against the top of his little girl's head. Taking a deep breath, inhaling the sweet smell of his daughter's hair, Sherlock gently bounced her small form up and down as he walked into his room.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered sadly as he laid Carmen's small form down on the bed, before quickly following and sliding under the covers. Feeling how warm her little body was, Sherlock carefully sat up and laid Carmen on her back in front of him. Moving carefully and humming in a reassuring way, the detective slowly tugged off his daughter's shirt and tiny pants, leaving her in a nappy. Tossing the fabric away, Sherlock placed a comforting hand on Carmen's stomach, smiling as he stared down at her sleeping form. It had been awhile since the detective had taken a moment to just pause and stare at the beauty of his daughter.

The smile slowly fading from his sharp features to be replaced by a look of complete concentration, Sherlock squinted slightly in the dark, waiting for his eyes to fully adjust, and dipped his head so he was closer to Carmen's sleeping form. He could feeling her warm breath on his cheeks as she slept. Eyes crinkling at the edges as his expression softened, the detective slowly began to rub his thumb back and forth over the smooth skin of his daughter's middle as his ever-changing grey eyes scanned over her sweet face; taking in her chubby cheeks; the small smile softening her lips; her light, wispy hair… "You're so precious, Carmen," Sherlock whispered. "I love you, sweetheart," he murmured, wrapping his slender fingers around Carmen's entire hand and pressing her tiny, chubby fingers to his lips. "Mmm," he hummed contently, smiling against her soft skin. The detective couldn't help but chuckle as the little girl shifted in her sleep, stretching her entire little body out and accidentally kicking him in the shin. "There, there," he chuckled softly, keeping her hand wrapped safely in his own as he bent forward, cradling her head in the palm of his hand. "I'm here." Smiling reassuringly, though he knew she couldn't see him, Sherlock pressed his lips to Carmen's forehead in an incredibly soft, tender kiss. "Stay with me," he gasped, suddenly overwhelmed with emotion and the realization that his little girl could be taken from him.

Unable to stop the burning rush of water that pooled in his eyes, threatening to spill over, Sherlock covered his mouth with the back of his hand, desperately trying to stop the sob he could feel building in his chest, for fear it would wake his daughter. "I'm so sorry, Carmen," he cried softly, gripping her little hand tighter in his own and pressing it to the middle of his chest as he hovered over her small form. The stinging tears he'd been ignoring finally slipping free, Sherlock pressed his forehead against Carmen's, still pressing his hand to his lips as he tried to stifle the sobs he was now unable to control.

"You have to stay," he wept, baritone voice breaking with the raw emotion and sadness of the situation.

Sensing her father's unhappiness, Carmen whimpered in her sleep, shuddering as she almost woke up.

Sniffling, and still clutching his daughter's hand in his own, Sherlock quickly brushed the tears streaking down his cheeks away and whispered in a comforting voice, hoping Carmen would not hear the sadness in it, "Shh, Carmen. I'm right here, you're all right." Sniffling quietly, the detective scooped her little body into his arms and clutched her close to his chest, rocking gently. "I'm right here... Shh. I'm sorry, sweetie. Go back to sleep; you're all right."

Eventually, Carmen's breathing returned to normal, and she relaxed, content to be in the safe arms of her father.

Sniffling as quietly as he could, Sherlock just continued to rock back and forth, using his daughter's sleeping form in his arms as a way to ground him. "We're all right," he whispered into her soft hair. "We'll be all right. I promise. I won't let anything happen to you." Silently allowing a few more tears to slip free, the detective began to gently stroke a few fingers up and down his daughter's bare back, enjoying the feel of her smooth skin against his warm fingers. "I've got you, love."

 

 

 

 

Sherlock awoke to a gentle prodding at his cheeks. With a quick intake of breath, the detective's whole body gave a shudder and, eyes not open yet, he instinctively reached for Carmen's body. Fingers finding their destination, Sherlock sighed in relief as he felt the soft curls of his daughter's hair against his fingertips. "Good morning," he yawned, opening his eyes just enough to see Carmen's face hovering a mere inches from his own.

"Mmm, Da'ey," the little girl hummed, a smile gracing her tiny lips.

"Lovely to see you, too." Smiling tiredly, the detective bent up and pressed a tender kiss to his daughter's cheek, the emotions of the previous night rushing back from the simple skin-to-skin contact. He shuddered a bit at the chill that coursed through his veins.

"Da'ey?" Carmen asked, pressing two tiny hands to her father's cheeks, worry written all over her face.

"Hmm? Oh, no, love I'm fine, really," Sherlock assured gently, cradling his daughter's head in his hand.

Clearly not believing her father, Carmen frowned a bit, her pretty features creasing with worry and doubt. "Da'ey." With a tiny sniffle, the little girl removed her hands and ducked down, curling against the planes of her father's chest, and then tucked her head under Sherlock's jaw.

"Oh, Carmen," the detective sighed sadly, pressing the corner of his lips to her tiny temple. "Don't worry, love. It'll all be all right… Hmm? Yes?" The little girl nodded feebly against Sherlock's collarbone.

Smiling sadly, Sherlock pressed a few more soft kisses to his daughter's light hair. "I love you, sweetheart."

"Mmm Da'ey," Carmen hummed, playing with the sharp line of her father's jaw.

Knowing this was his daughter's way of reciprocating the love, Sherlock chuckled weakly. "I know you do, love… I know you do."

 

 

 

 

"Da'ey!" Carmen giggled sweetly when she was carried into the sitting room on Sherlock's hip and caught sight of John, passed out in his chair, snoring obscenely.

"I know," the detective chuckled in response, giving the little girl's bottom a gentle pat as he, too, stared at the doctor's less-than attractive form. "Why don't you go give him a morning kiss, hmm?"

Carmen gave a tiny nod and then, still giggling, snuggled next to her father's shoulder and waited to be carried over to John.

"Right, then," Sherlock whispered playfully as he crept over to his flat mate and leant over, allowing Carmen a better shot of his cheek. "Go on."

With a bell-like giggle, Carmen leant forward and pressed a slightly open-mouthed kiss to John's cheek, and squealed, leaping back to the safety of Sherlock's arms, when the doctor awoke with a startled cry.

"Shh," the detective chuckled, pressing a loving kiss to Carmen's little cheek. "Very good job, love." The little girl merely grinned proudly in response, a smile which provided a much-needed rush of relief to flood Sherlock's veins.

"What… Sh'lock?" John mumbled groggily as he awoke.

"John!" Carmen called, as if claiming her job well done.

"Oh… Oh! Hey, Carmen. Good morning," the doctor yawned, shooting Sherlock a scowl, before giving the little girl in his arms a tired smile. "What time is it?"

Clearly thinking this question was directed at her, Carmen cheerfully bumbled some sort of answer, none of which was really understandable, though she seemed quite proud of herself, and grinned at Sherlock afterward with a smile too precious to ignore.

"Very good job, love," Sherlock laughed with a warm smile before quickly mouthing, "half past nine," to his friend.

"Ah. Right." Groaning as he sat up, John kneaded several fingers into his sore neck, as the realization and memories of the situation came rushing back. "Oh," he murmured sadly as his gaze travelled to Carmen, who was currently playing with a dark lock of her father's hair; running the curl through her tiny fingers and examining it with rather adorable precision.

"How's she doing?"

"I think she understands something is wrong, or off, but naturally, she doesn't understand what… She's a little unsettled today, aren't we love?" the detective added in a softer tone as he brushed some of Carmen's light hair away from her forehead.

"Mmm… And how are you?" Though Sherlock did not remove his gaze from his daughter's face, John could clearly see his answer in the way the detective's lips pressed together and in the way the muscles in his forearms tensed and contracted.

"Fine," Sherlock answered softly, in a tone light enough that it would not upset Carmen, but that still held enough gravity to make it clear that he was most certainly not fine.

"Right… Is there anything I can do?"

"You could start a bath for Carmen," the detective suggested.

"Yes, yes, of course… I can do that."

Sherlock waited patiently until he heard the water fill the pipes and then padded over to the couch, where he carefully set Carmen's little body down. "Carmen, love?" he murmured in a delicate tone as he kneeled down, so they could see each other better.

"Hh-umm?" the little girl hummed questioningly in response, gazing expectantly into her father's lighter eyes. Clearly sensing the change in Sherlock's tone and demeanor, Carmen placed both of her tiny hands carefully in her lap and waited.

"Carmen," the detective repeated. "I love you... I love you with all my heart, and..." Struggling to the find the words and thoughts and emotions he was wishing to express, Sherlock placed one of his slender, pale hands atop both of his daughter's much smaller ones, and curled his fingers, effectively casing the little girl's hands in his own. "You know that I love you, correct?"

"Uh-hmm."

"Good, good... Well, I just want you to know that bad things might be happening very soon, and... As a result, you and I might have to be separated for a little while. But I-I need you to know, that no matter what happens, I love you so impossibly much with all of my heart. You mean the world to me, Carmen, and no matter what happens, you are my heart and my life now... Do you understand?" Not realizing he hadn't even been looking into his daughter's eyes, but rather her tiny hands, wrapped in his own, Sherlock finally met Carmen's expressive irises, to find them watery and heartbroken. "Oh, sweetheart, come here."

"Da'ey." Sniffling madly, Carmen simply nodded her head and eagerly crawled into her father's arms, pressing herself as close to his reassuring form as she was able to.

"Shh… I'm right here, love… Please don't cry." Feeling his heart practically break in his chest, Sherlock pressed the curve of his cheek to his daughter's temple and hugged her close. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you, Carmen. All right? Shh… There now… We'll be all right… Shh…"

Wanting to comfort his daughter, Sherlock began to slowly pace back and forth while simultaneously bouncing up and down. "Shh," he soothed, running several slender fingers through the little girl's silky hair and down her back.

"Da'ey," Carmen whimpered into her father's neck.

The detective could feel his skin quickly becoming wet with his daughter's tears. "Shh… I'm not going to let anything happen to you. We're going to be all right… I'll protect you… Shh."

Eventually, after being rocked and bounced, Carmen's cries subsided into sniffles and whimpers. Sherlock knew John had left the bathroom and was merely waiting in the kitchen so as to give them some privacy. "Carmen, sweetheart?"

"Mmm Da'ey?"

"What do you say we go and get you a bath, hmm?"

"Math, Da'ey?"

"Exactly," Sherlock whispered, pressing a tender kiss to his daughter's cheek. "What do you think?"

With a sniffle, Carmen merely nodded in response. "There's my girl. Come along, then." Shoving away his own anxiety, Sherlock slowly glided into the bathroom in his room, silently thanking John when he found the tub full of warm water, Carmen's toys and soap on the floor, and several towels laid out for when her bath was completed. "Come on, then. Ready?" Kneeling down on the ground, Sherlock slowly removed Carmen from his grasp, and leaned back so he could gaze at her tiny face. "Ready?" he repeated softly.

With a sniffle, the little girl nodded, and then, wiping at her eyes, pointed to her cheek. "Da'ey?"

"Of course." Knowing the gesture, Sherlock gladly obliged by leaning forward and pressing his lips to his daughter's soft, chubby cheek, and then quickly pulled her into his arms, wrapping her in a hug. "Better?"

"Mes."

"Excellent," the detective murmured, rubbing a hand up and down Carmen's back. "Right, then." Giving the tiny girl a warm smile, Sherlock pulled back and, after placing one more kiss to his daughter's cheek, gently tugged off her tiny shirt and pants, which sent the little girl into a fit of giggles.

"Oh, you think that's funny, hmm?" Sherlock laughed, a rare smile gracing his lips. Carmen merely nodded in response, her sweet bell-like giggle filling the bathroom. "Mes, Da'ey," she sighed, taking a tiny hand and setting it atop the detective's sharp cheekbone.

"Mmm. Excellent. Right, then… Nappy," Sherlock murmured, smiling under his daughter's light touch as he gently pulled off the little girl's nappy. "Done. Ready?"

Carmen nodded sweetly in response.

"Excellent." With a reassuring smile, Sherlock picked up Carmen's tiny body and set her in the warm bath. "There we are… Now… Duck or boat?" he asked playfully, picking up each toy, and holding them up.

"Uhm…" Thinking, Carmen absentmindedly toyed with the water under her little hands before deciding. "Duck," she stated with a firm nod of her head.

"Excellent choice." The detective handed over the toy with a smile, watching bittersweetly as his daughter began to squeal in delight, running the toy over and through the warm water.

"Carmen?" the detective asked suddenly.

"Mes, Da'ey?"

"I… Just want you to know that I love you, sweetheart," Sherlock murmured, brushing a few stray curls out of his daughter's eyes.

"Oh… Loves, Da'ey."

The detective smiled. "Thank you."

Once finished with the bath, Carmen stood and tapped her father's shoulder with a whispered, "Da'ey."

"Hmm? Oh. Right." Grabbing one of the towels John had set out, Sherlock carefully plucked his daughter's tiny body out of the tub and wrapped her in a towel. "There we are." Knowing Carmen always gets quite sleepy after a bath, Sherlock left his bathroom, pressing a tender kiss to his daughter's temple when she rested her head against his shoulder. "It's okay, love. I've got you." Keeping her towel-clad form settled closely against his chest, Sherlock rooted through the cabinets until he found a sippy cup, filled it with water, and then padded into the sitting room. "How about some telly, hmm?" he asked, playfully tickling Carmen's belly.

"Mes, Da'ey," the little girl giggled, taking the sippy cup from her father's hand.

A warm smile on his lips, Sherlock sat down in his chair, as it was Carmen's favorite spot in the flat, and wrapped the towel further around her small body. "Now, what would you like to watch, then?"

"Meppa Piggie?" the little girl asked, her voice tiny.

"Peppa Pig. Excellent choice." Switching to said TV show, Sherlock waited patiently while his daughter settled into a comfortable position on his lap, and then readjusted her towel. "Good?"

"Mes," the little girl sighed, leaning back until her head rested against her father's chest.

"There's a good girl." Smiling sadly, Sherlock wrapped an arm around his daughter's small middle.

"Mmm," the tiny girl hummed, sucking at the water in the sippy cup.

Snuggled closely together, Sherlock gently rocked his daughter back and froth, watching Peppe the Pig, waiting for her to fall asleep. After hearing the tell-tale hum of his sleeping daughter, Sherlock glanced down to find Carmen had indeed fallen asleep.

"Mm-ah," the little girl hummed, snuggling closer to Sherlock's chest.

"I've got you," the detective whispered, tucking his daughter's head under his chin. "I've got you."

Realizing Carmen was still dressed in just a towel, Sherlock slowly stood, keeping his daughter close, and then padded into his room, where he set Carmen's sleeping form on the bed. "Right, then." Keeping a hand on her bare middle so she wouldn't fall off the bed, Sherlock quickly grabbed a nappy and managed to put it on without waking Carmen. Knowing the tiny girl always managed to take her clothes off in the middle of the night anyway, the detective opted to allow his daughter to sleep in just a nappy that night.

After discarding the wet tower, Sherlock carefully scooped Carmen into his arms. "You're going to stay with me tonight, all right?" the detective murmured to no one in particular, pressing his lips to his daughter's temple. Sherlock soon realized he was in the kitchen.

"Hey," John greeted, a cup of coffee in hand.

"Oh. Hello, John."

"Would you like a cup?"

"God, yes."

 

 

 

 

John resting in his chair, TV on—though with nobody watching it, Sherlock sat on the round, watching sadly as Carmen slept on the couch net to him.

"What do I do if I lose her, John?" the detective asked suddenly. As if fearing she would be taken from him at any moment, Sherlock put one hand atop his daughter's bare stomach. "What will I do?"

"Nothing."

"What?" Sherlock asked in amazement, turning a teary-eyed gaze to the doctor.

"Because you won't be separated from her," John continued. "Lestrade won't let that happen… And neither will I."

With a single sniffle, Sherlock turned his gaze back to his slumbering daughter. "Thank you, John."

"Of course, Sherlock."

 

 

 

 

"Ah. Hello, sweetheart," Sherlock murmured as Carmen woke.

Blinking tiredly, the little girl rolled over and groaned into the back of the couch.

"I know," Sherlock laughed, gently patting her back. "It's bright, isn't it?"

"Mes, Da'ey." Frowning slightly and attempting to blink away the sleep, Carmen rolled back over, blinking tiredly at her father's seated form. "Up?" she asked, voice soft and light.

"Of course." Gladly obeying, Shelrock placed a hand under each of her armpits and then lifted her tiny form onto his hip.

"Mm-ah." Humming to her tired little self, Carmen quickly snuggled against Sherlock and tucked her head under the detective's chin. "Da'ey," the little girl sighed into the detective's jaw.

"Yes, love."

"Oh. John," the little girl stated plainly. With one tiny finger, Carmen opined to the doctor, who smiled warmly in response.

"Hey, Carmen." Sharing a glance with Sherlock, John stood and wrapped his own hand around Carmen's tiny one, giving it a playful shake.

"Mmm. John," the little girl giggled to herself. A bashful smile gracing her small lips, Carmen tucked her head back under Sherlock's jaw, giggling into the pale skin there.

"Someone's got the giggles today, then?" the doctor chuckled, giving Carmen's bare back a tickle with his fingertips.

"Mes…"

Smiling, Sherlock pressed a kiss to his daughter's temple, grateful John was able to make her smile. "Thank you," he mouthed.

The doctor merely nodded.

 

 

 

 

The call.

It seemed to Sherlock as if he was moving through water; the way his arms seemed to fight against him when he passed a sleeping Carmen into John's arms; the way his sweeping coat seemed to drag behind him, as if willing him not to leave.

Once in the cab, Sherlock lolled back and froth with each of the car's movements.

The detective stared blankly at the lift numbers as he traveled up to Lestrade's floor.

"Sherlock," the Detective Inspector greeted with a handshake.

"Lestrade." A breath. "Tell me."


	10. Chapter 10

"Tell me."

The Inspector planted his hands on his hips and heaved a sigh. "It was a match."

Sherlock—though he had never understood it—had read in countless numbers of books that a character would feel as if their heart had sunk. And the detective had never been able to imagine what such a thing would feel like, or how a life event could cause it. Now he understood. Only describing what he was feeling as 'having his heart sink' was barely the tip of the iceberg. A match. God, no. If his heart was sinking, it had fallen through the tile beneath his shoes and the floors below. "A match," he barely whispered.

"Yes. But, listen. He has several priors, one of which was for murder."

"Oh God." Sherlock could feel his pulse pound faster in his ears, thrumming in his fingertips. "Dear God," he shuddered, collapsing into the nearest chair.

"Now, just a moment. He's never done any time for any of these crimes, though; seems he was never caught. Soo…" the Inspector heaved a sigh. "It took a lot of strings, but I managed to get all rights he would have to a trial for Carmen waived." Greg turned his gaze back to Sherlock to find the detective appeared to be quite literally frozen where he was sitting, lips parted just slightly.

"Sherlock?"

"You've waived his rights to a trial?"

"Yeah. Yeah," Lestrade repeated.

"So, you mean… she's… It's…"

"Yeah, mate," the Inspector murmured with a smile. "It's all over."

"Oh, thank God," Sherlock gasped, pressing the heels of his palms to his eyes , soon after feeling salty tears pool beneath his hands.

Lestrade quite literally froze upon feeling Sherlock's arms wrap themselves around him. The Inspector mumbled some surprised response, not quite sure what to do with himself. "That's, uh… Yes. Good. Uh… Sherlock, are you—"

"Wonderful," the detective murmured, releasing Lestrade from his grasp. "Thank you, Greg," he breathed, arms strong as he clasped the Inspector's shoulders beneath his fingertips. "Thank you. I—I—I must… John and-and Carmen, I…"

"Of course. Go."

 

 

 

 

 

 

John jumped upon hearing the front door open and then close with a slam, in turn startling Carmen, who was situated safely in his arms.

Swift footsteps up the stairs, loud and resounding. John knew this could mean good or bad news. The doctor turned in preparation, grip tightening around little Carmen.

Face completely serious, Sherlock's panting form came into view.

Releasing a breath, the detective's eyes travelled to his daughter, and then back to John. In response to the question in the doctor's eyes, Sherlock simply shook his head, and a wide grin instantly graced his lips while something between a sob and a laugh escaped his lips.

"Oh, thank God." Now smiling and laughing in relief, as well, John pressed his nose into Carmen's hair, quite confusing the little girl.

"It was a match, but Lestrade managed to waive any rights he had to a trail for her." Laughing almost hysterically, Sherlock hurried over to a now-very-confused Carmen and gathered the little girl into his arms. "Oh, my darling," he whispered as he hugged her tiny form close. "We're fine... We're just fine."

"Da'ey?" Not understanding, Carmen hesitantly wrapped her arms around Sherlock's neck, returning the hug. "Da'ey is?"

"What? Oh, I'm sorry, love." Chuckling, and with tears soon welling in his eyes, the detective loosened his grip around his daughter.

"Mmm," Carmen hummed softly. The little girl leaned back and gazed at her father with wide eyes.

"Right, then." Sharing a glance with John, Sherlock sat on the couch and sat Carmen on his lap, making sure she was comfortable. "Carmen?" he asked hesitantly and with raised brows.

"Da'ey?"

Sensing his daughter's worry, Sherlock's pressed a quick, but tender kiss to the little girl's nose. "Now, then… Carmen," the detective started, brushing a stray curl out of the little girl's eyes. "Do you remember when I spoke to you about how things may be changing because something bad could happen?"

Despite seeming slightly confused, Carmen nodded her head.

"Excellent." A smile. "Well… It seems we won't have to be worrying about that anymore, sweetheart." A sudden but warm smile. "You're safe. We're safe." Unable to contain his utter joy, Sherlock grinned and pressed several tender kisses to Carmen's cheeks and forehead.

Not quite understanding the exact meaning of the words her father had spoken, but knowing something good had happened, a smile that was quite clearly one of relief graced the little girl's lips. "Da'ey!" she declared with a grin. Heaving several breathy laughs, Carmen wrapped her chubby arms around Sherlock's neck and squeezed, snuggling against her father's neck. "Da'ey," she breathed against the detective's skin.

"I know, love. I know." Sharing a relieved grin with John, Sherlock pressed his daughter close. "I know… We're fine… we're all just fine."

"Mmm, Da'ey." Keeping her arms wrapped loosely around her father's neck, Carmen pulled away and gazed contently at the detective, clearly pleased for the release of tension.

"Hmm. My darling… Now, then. Come along! We must celebrate." After pressing his lips to Carmen's soft cheek, Sherlock stood, keeping the little girl settled safely on his hip.

"Uh, Da'ey?" Giggling to herself, Carmen tapped the detective on the shoulder and then pointed gleefully to herself.

"What, love? Oh." Sherlock couldn't help but laugh aloud when he realized his daughter was still dressed in pajamas. "I see."

"Not, Da'ey," the little girl continued, now in a fit of giggles.

"I quite agree." Sherlock breathed a sigh of relief as he gazed fondly at his daughter's rather angelic smile, pleased to see the worry had melted away from her small form. "Let's go get properly dressed, then, yes?"

"Mes, Da'ey." The little girl settled in as Sherlock started towards his room, in search of clothes. "Oh," she mumbled as they passed John. "John ca'hm?" Carmen asked with an innocent little quirk of her lips.

"Oh, uh…" Not quite able to discern what Carmen had said, John turned to his friend, a quizzical brow raised.

"She's asking if you would like to come," Sherlock translated with a chuckle.

"Oh, oh. Yeah, sure, I'd love to come," John answered. Smiling, the doctor took a single finger and tickled Carmen's cheek, pleased when it elicited several giggles.

"Good?"

"Mes."

"Excellent. Come along, then, love." With a loving pat to Carmen's back, Sherlock practically bounced into his room, a very delighted Carmen on his hip. "Now, then. What shall we wear, hmm?" The detective gently lowered the little girl onto the ground.

Humming contently to herself, Carmen held onto Sherlock's trousers with two fingers and trailed behind the detective as he padded over to the small dresser that contained her clothes.

Smiling fondly at his daughter, Sherlock sorted through the several bits of clothing in the dresser, eventually deciding upon a dress, knowing it was Carmen's favorite outfit. "Yes?" he asked, showing her the chosen dress.

Suddenly there was a small gasp. "Mes, Da'ey!" Carmen cried gleefully, jumping up and down with pure excitement.

"Very good, then." laughing at his daughter, Sherlock knelt down, dress in hand. "Right, then. Arms up."

Carmen obeyed with a giggle, raising her arms above her head.

"Very good." Sherlock quickly tugged off the little girl's shirt, and then soon after did the same for her small pants. "Step," he chuckled with a fond smile.

Arms still raised above her head, Carmen stepped into the pink dress, practically bouncing up and down in anticipation.

A warm smile dancing over his lips, Sherlock gently turned his daughter around and did up the tiny buttons on the back of her dress with slender fingers, one by one. "Right, then," he murmured fondly as he turned the little girl back around so she was facing him. "Now for your—"

"Clippies!" Carmen exclaimed triumphantly. Humming happily to herself, the little girl toddled out of her father's grasp and over to the bathroom, where she waited for the detective to follow suit, bouncing up and down in preparation.

"I'm coming, love, I'm coming," Sherlock chuckled. Heaving a sigh, the detective left his position on the ground and padded into the bathroom, followed by a rather amused John. "Clips. Right… Clips. Oh. John?"

"Hm?"

"You are more than welcome to invite Mary out to dinner with us, if you would wish."

"Yeah, that'd be great. Thanks, mate." Pulling out his mobile, the doctor watched fondly as Sherlock rooted through several drawers, eventually pulling out a handful of clips.

"Right." Clips in hand, Sherlock knelt down, so as to allow Carmen a better view. "Which one would you like, then, love?"

Chewing on her bottom lip in a way that never failed to make her father's lips twitch fondly, Carmen glanced around at the clips the detective had chosen, as if such a decision was one of life or death. "'Tis, Da'ey," she concluded eventually, pointing to a barrette adorned with a pink rose.

"Beautiful, darling. That's a lovely choice."

"Mmm." Quite clearly pleased to receive such praise, Carmen giggled contently to herself, and began to absently tug on the hem of her tiny dress. "Can Da'ey?"

"It would be my pleasure." Sherlock quickly put back the other clips, making sure to keep the barrette his daughter had chosen in hand. "Here we go…" With gentle fingers, the detective turned Carmen's head to right just a bit.

Having just hung up with his wife, John watched fondly as his previous flat mate gently brushed several locks of Carmen's fair hair to the side, still kneeling, and clipped the pink rose in her hair, situating it just perfectly with his graceful fingers.

"There. Care to see?"

"Mes, Da'ey," Carmen whispered, large eyes gazing contently at her father.

Sherlock merely answered with a smile, and then gathered his daughter's dress-clad form into his arms. "Shut up, John."

"Wha—I haven't even said anything!" the doctor declared, still rather amazed by his friend.

"You were thinking. It's very loud."

"Right, of course." Chuckling unbelievably, John merely watched as Carmen caught sight of herself in the mirror and saw the clip in her hair. A smile graced the doctor's lips when the little girl, now grinning, wrap her little arms around Sherlock's neck, giving the detective a hug.

"Da'ey," Carmen hummed as a way of thanks.

"You're very welcome, sweetheart." The detective pressed a kiss to his daughter's cheek. "Now, then! To celebrate! Are we ready?"

"Yeah, I think so," John answered, knowing the question was directed at him. "Mary said she'll just meet us at the restaurant. Angelo's, I assumed."

Sherlock raised a disapproving brow. "You should never assume such things, John."

A smirk. "But I was right, wasn't I?"

Sherlock opened his mouth and then shut it again. "… Perhaps."

"Exactly."

"Yes, well… Oh, shut up."

Smirking when Sherlock brushed past him, mumbling something unintelligible, John crossed his arms over his chest and followed after the two of them, winking playfully at Carmen, who giggled in response.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having managed to put together a quick nappy bag and find a jacket and shoes for Carmen, Sherlock, his daughter, and John managed to flag down a cab.

Practically bouncing with anticipation, Carmen waited patiently as she was set in the middle of the cab, next to John, and buckled in by the doctor.

"Now…" Crawling into the cab, Sherlock carefully situated himself next to his small daughter, unable to hide a smile of relief upon once again realizing the situation that had constituted their even being in the car. "Ready?"

"Mes," Carmen whispered with a smile, once again playing with the hem of her dress.

"Excellent." Crossing his legs, and after placing the nappy bag on the floor of the cab, Sherlock told the driver the address, breathing a sigh of relief. The detective could soon hear his daughter's tiny voice talking to his previous flat mate, quite clearly telling him some very elaborate story, though not much of it was discernible.

With a small chuckle, Sherlock glanced down to his left at his daughter's tiny form, smiling when he saw that her small hand had found its way to his own; her little fingers had wrapped themselves around several of his own, absentmindedly clenching and unclenching while she continued to chat away with John.

"Oh, my darling," Sherlock barely whispered, curling his fingers around her own little ones. Closing his eyes, the detective leaned his head against the window, pleased to find it was cool against his own warm skin, and merely waited peacefully while they rode the short way to Angelo's, listening to his daughter's bell-like voice.

 

 

 

 

 

"Mary!" Carmen gasped upon seeing her waiting outside the front of the restaurant.

Knowing how fond his daughter had become of John's wife, Sherlock set Carmen on the ground with a chuckle, and watched as she hurriedly toddled over to Mary, who picked her up and pressed several kiss to her cheeks.

"My goodness, look how lovely you look!" Mary exclaimed with a grin, twining her hand in John's when the doctor reached her. "That's a very lovely dress, Carmen. Did you pick it out?"

"Mes, Mary," the little girl answered with a nod.

Nappy bag in hand, Sherlock trailed after Mary and John, keeping an eye on Carmen, who seemed more than content to be situated in Mary's arms.

Once seated at a table, and after profuse thanking from Angelo, himself, Carmen was once again situated with her father, having decided she wanted to spend this dinner as close to the detective as possible. Which, tonight, meant sitting on his lap.

And, though he would never really admit it, Sherlock found he didn't mind one bit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

That night, dinner was spent with relived conversation, laughs, and complete and utter joy at the fact that Carmen was free from the threats of her biological father and nothing would happen to her. Despite the fact that most of the conversation was run by Mary and John, with occasional inputs from Sherlock, the detective had never felt more peaceful and relieved as he had a hand wrapped around Carmen's middle, feeling each one of her breaths.

Eventually, after having finished dinner, most of which was free—per the instance of Angelo—John and Mary both said their goodbyes to Carmen, wrapping the little girl in hugs and kisses.

"Congratulations, Sherlock," John whispered as he passed Carmen back to her father. "I mean it. Truly."

A smile. "Thank you, John… For everything. I appreciate all you've done to help me. Us, rather." The detective's striking blue eyes travelled to Carmen, who was resting her head atop his shoulder, rather tired out from the big day.

"Yeah, mate. Goodbye, Carmen," the doctor added, giving her one last smile and a wink.

"Bah-bye, John," the little girl replied tiredly, though the smile was clear in her tiny voice.

"Mmm. Mary." After pressing a kiss to Mary's cheek, the detective bid the couple a goodnight, and, after several more goodbye kisses for Carmen, the two groups went their separate ways, with Sherlock deciding to walk his daughter home, and Mary and John taking a cab.

"Oh, Carmen," the detective whispered as he started the walk home, almost wishing he could see the stars, so as to give his daughter something interesting to look at.

"Mes, Da'ey?"

"Hm? Oh. Nothing, love, I just... I love you so impossibly much. And I'm so relieved that you're safe." Once again feeling a swell of emotion in his chest, Sherlock moved a hand so it was resting atop Carmen's back, and then leaned his head ever so slightly, allowing the curve of his cheekbone to rest against his daughter's head. "I love you."

"Lah... Loves, Da'ey," Carmen whispered, toying with the collar of her father's jacket. "Loves."

"Yes, I... Wait." Sherlock suddenly froze his walking. "Did... Did you just say you loved me, Carmen?" he asked, voice just barely a whisper.

Now seeming confused by her father's shocked tone of voice, Carmen lifted her head just enough so she could gaze into the detective's eyes. "Mes, Da'ey?" she stated, as if a question. "Loves."

"Oh, my..." A smile, completely genuine, and impossibly rare graced Sherlock's lips, drawing them up at the corners and forming the crow's feet crinkles at the corners of his eyes. "I love you, too, Carmen. Thank you so much, sweetheart. I love you."

Eyes drooping as she blinked, Carmen smiled and then wrapped her little arms around Sherlock's neck, snuggling against his warmer, familiar skin. "Mes, Da'ey. Loves."

Despite the fact that he felt as if he couldn't breath fully, Sherlock somehow made his feet move once again, and soon, they were at the flat, with Carmen practically asleep atop his shoulder.

"Ohh, here we are, love," the detective whispered as he opened the door to 221B. "I say we head off to bed, then, hmm?"

"Mmm," Carmen agreed with a hum, too tired to do much else.

"My thoughts exactly." Smiling fondly at his exhausted daughter, Sherlock silently padded up the steps to the flat and then into his room. After having found Carmen's favorite onesie, the detective set the little girl on the bed, apologizing softly when she whined in protest and rubbed at her eyes with a fist. "I know, Carmen. My apologies, but we've got to get you into some nightclothes."

"Mmm," the little girl merely hummed in response, body relaxing.

Managing not to disturb her too much further, Sherlock somehow managed to pull off Carmen's dress and put on the onesie, doing all the buttons up. And, despite the fact that a room had been made for her in John's old one, Sherlock decided to allow the little girl to just sleep in his bed once again, deciding tonight was a special occasion, anyway. "Oh, here we go, love," the detective whispered as he gathered his daughter into his arms and carefully transferred her to the top of the bed, tucking her under the covers.

"Da'ey?" Carmen whispered suddenly, just as Sherlock was about to remove his hands.

"Yes, love?"

"Stays?" the little girl asked with a yawn, the sound of which made Sherlock smile.

"Of course I will, sweetheart," he whispered, stroking several fingers over her forehead.

Utter relief still flushing his system, Sherlock gathered Carmen back into his arms, unable to silence a chuckle when her small limbs curled inward, almost making her a ball shape. "We'll just walk for a bit, then, shall we?"

"Mes, Da... Da. Hmm." Already lulled by the gentle swaying of each of her father's steps, Carmen curled against the familiar planes of Sherlock's chest. Several small fingers curled around the detective's collar as her eyes slowly slid shut.

"We're safe now, love," Sherlock whispered over and over again against her skin, grounded by her small form in his arms. Once the detective was sure Carmen was practically asleep, he padded over to the rocking chair that had taken residence in his room, and sat, keeping his daughter settled safely against his chest. "We're both safe now... I love you, Carmen."

"Mmm."

Both father and daughter slept peacefully that night, free from the grips of worry and fear, with Carmen's little form wrapped safely in her father's arms.


End file.
